Politicians seeking answers to poverty should get out of Westminster and listen to local community organisations - Nathan Gamester

Three quarters of respondents described Britain as ‘broken’ and more than half cannot name a single Conservative or Labour policy to tackle poverty. In short, a significant number of people in the UK think everything is broken and no one has a plan to fix it.

So what can be done? Should we all throw in the beach towel, pack our surf boards and head down under? Or can we find solutions to some of the problems facing Britain and turn the tide of pessimism?

I think we can. And what’s more, the answer lies in that room in Leeds. That is where I was this week, with 100 others from Yorkshire's grassroots charities, business, politics, and the service sectors. We were taking part in the ‘Big Listen Yorkshire’, the first event in a new Social Justice Commission which is scouring the country to understand the true condition of modern society today. It is asking two simple questions: what are the problems we face; and what are the potential solutions?

After listening to the people in that room in Leeds, I was struck by two overriding conclusions: first, solutions are out there. Second, small local organisations can lead the way.

Take for example the Leeds-based charity Tempus Novo, that operates across prisons in Yorkshire working with offenders to prepare them for work upon release.

Of the 80,000 people in prison in Britain, only 18 per cent find paid employment six weeks after leaving prison. Half of those leaving end up re-offending costing the UK economy over £18bn each year (about a third of the total education budget).

All of the research on reoffending shows that finding sustainable employment reduces the probability of re-offending by half. Enter Tempus Novo. The charity has placed around 750 people into work since 2014, with a re-conviction rate of less than 5 per cent compared to the national average of 50 per cent reoffending within 12 months. And the best part: their model costs just £3,000 per-offender for 12 months support.

Each of these people have transitioned from costing the state to becoming a contributor through taxation. This is just one example of a local Yorkshire project that could have national ramifications. Imagine a Tempus Novo in every prison in the country. Finding game-changing organisations like these will be the priority for the new Yorkshire office we have launched this week.

There is no doubt that life for many is hard right now. The answer is not to run away to set up a new life on the other side of the world, however tempting that may be. Rather we must find solutions closer to home to address the root causes of poverty.

This week’s discussion in Leeds provides a model. Politicians seeking answers should get out of Westminster and to listen to local community organisations who are delivering innovative solutions day-in-day-out.

Nathan Gamester is the managing director of the CSJ Foundation.