Cost-of-living answers must start with local communities, says Aston vice-chancellor

Tackling the cost of living starts with understanding local communities, the Vice-Chancellor of Aston University has told an audience of policymakers, researchers and residents in Birmingham.

Professor Colin Grant, Aston's Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, opened a public panel event called "The Cost of Living in the Midlands: What Works, What Matters, What Next?" at the university on 28 October, the day of the Budget.

Felt locally

Professor Grant said that while headlines often focus on national statistics, the cost of living is ultimately experienced locally. He called for tackling it to be a collective effort rather than the responsibility of any single organisation, informed by evidence and grounded in the experiences of those most affected.

"Social sciences help us understand what is happening, why it is happening, who is most affected, and what interventions can make a meaningful difference," he said.

"At a time when public resources are under significant pressure and policy decisions are increasingly complex, evidence has never been more important."

He said financial pressure "shapes how people heat their homes, travel to work, access education, care for their families, and participate in their communities", and is "felt differently across regions, generations and sectors of society".

Eight universities working together

The event was organised by Midlands Innovation, a partnership of eight research-intensive universities: Aston, Birmingham, Cranfield, Keele, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham and Warwick. It was part of the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences.

Professor Balazs Szent-Ivanyi, Associate Dean for Research in Law and Social Sciences at Aston, chaired a panel of six experts from across the region, including Dr Alexis Paton, Director of Aston's Centre for Health and Society, and Dr Annum Rafique of City-REDI at the University of Birmingham.

The panel also included Professor Matt Padley of Loughborough University, Dr Lee Gregory of the University of Nottingham, and Dr Tara Mulqueen and Professor Philip Taylor of the University of Warwick.

Research with a local purpose

Aston has produced research on cost-of-living issues, including Dr Paton's work on the effects of fuel poverty on health and wellbeing, and Professor Andy Lymer's work on how people and households manage their money.

Why it matters

The Budget this week included a £100 energy payment for households, an extended fuel duty cut and a higher minimum wage. But as Professor Grant argued, the same national measure can land very differently on a family in Birmingham than on one elsewhere. Local evidence on who is struggling and why can help councils, charities and employers in the city target help where it is needed most.