As we adjust to the shifts brought by the new government, it’s important to reflect on the impact of the 2025 election. For some, this marks their first experience of a change in leadership, while others have spent years navigating the voluntary sector under the same political leadership. Voice4Change England asked leaders and advocates in civil society what they hoped to see from the new Labour government, addressing key issues such as poverty, housing, food insecurity, and racial injustice.
Below are some of the powerful responses—a reminder to Starmer’s government of the core values that drive civil society, and the leadership needed to implement long-term, meaningful, and systemic change.
1. Professor Joy Warmington, CEO of brap
“A new government needs to address poverty – in every sense of that word. Material poverty, obviously. A staggering 41% of children in Birmingham live in poverty, and this must surely be a priority for any new government. Tackling child poverty means focusing on in-work poverty (child poverty among those in working households has surged by 900,000 (44%) since 2010) but a new government should also focus on worklessness. Any action in this area needs to be race fluent. White people consistently have the lowest unemployment rates among all ethnic groups—a stubborn statistic that has persisted for decades.
Underlying all this is the need to address poverty in a different sense of the word. Too many people feel that society works to exclude them, and people like them. Too many (young) people feel they do not have a stake in society and their futures are limited. This is a poverty of hope and belonging. A new government must think about how to create a story about our society that is not built on divisive ideas of winners and losers, the legacy of colonial thinking, or notions of Britishness that emphasise whiteness and class. Past governments have talked about race relations, multiculturalism, community cohesion, and more. It is time for a new government to talk about hope and belonging.”
2. Mide Sotubo, Policy Officer of Howard League for Penal Reform
‘We hope the new labour government will prioritise and implement long-lasting systemic and policy changes that recognise the failure of prisons as the answer to crime, particularly for children and young people. We hope that this new government will address the disproportionality, and racial disparities present within the criminal justice system, from remand figures to joint enterprise prosecutions, and work together with organisations and those impacted by the harms of prison to see a reduction in its use and better conditions for those who remain there.’
3. Tony Wong, CEO of METRO Charity and Former CEO of Hackney CVS
“My ambitions for a new government are that we see more investment into public services. Following more than a decade of austerity, with the added impacts of the pandemic and cost of living crisis, there is immense strain on public services, both provided by statutory and VCS organisations. Without investment, marginalised communities will continue to struggle to access the support they need, and inequalities will worsen. So that would be my hope for any new government coming in.”
4. Jenna Fansa, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Hackney Foodbank
“Here at Hackney Foodbank demand has increased by more than 42% in the past year as people in our community increasingly struggle to meet the rising cost of living amidst a backdrop of stagnating wages and a benefits system that doesn’t cover the essentials. We have been part of the Trussell Trust’s Guarantee our Essentials campaign; calling on politicians to ensure that Universal Credit keeps pace with rising costs to cover the essentials and that remains a priority. We’re concerned about the extra pressures our visitors will face, with the price of gas and electricity forecast to rise by 10% from October and with many low-income pensioners no longer entitled to winter fuel payments.
Hackney Foodbank’s emergency food parcels are designed to last for three days and 81% of our visitors only come between one and three times a year. The charity has seen a sharp increase in the number of older people and families with children needing support and runs two evening food banks to support the rising numbers of working poor.”
5. Portia Msimang, Project Co-Ordinator for Renters’ Rights London
“Renters' Rights London has campaigned for adequate security of tenure since 2018, so we're pleased and relieved to see the Renters' Rights Bill introduced by the Labour government last week. Once passed, renters will be better able to assert their rights to live in homes free from hazardous disrepair. The Bill extends Awaab's Law to private renters, requiring repairs within a set timescale. It also outlaws' discrimination against people with children and those receiving state benefits, but the 'right to rent' rules, which lead to racial discrimination, remain.
The market approach has failed to meet the need for adequate housing, concentrating wealth and power in private landlords' hands. Despite the government's commitment to building 1.5 million social housing units, the housing association model is no longer fit for purpose. That's why I support more investment in co-operative housing, a sustainable, not-for-profit model. In Germany, co-op housing has thrived for over 150 years, accounting for more than 10% of all rented homes, and in Switzerland, 5% of housing stock is co-operatived.”
6. Diana Yeh, Senior Lecturer in Creativity and Social Justice and Associate of ESEA Hub
“Recognition and understanding of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) communities must be a part of the vision and actions of the government for a transformative society that addresses structural barriers, marginalisation and injustices. The unprecedented rise in anti-ESEA racial violence and discrimination during the COVID pandemic and the attacks on our community members during the recent far-right violence in the UK have laid bare the vulnerabilities and challenges we face. For too long, we have been positioned as an invisible model minority, which disavows the structural and other racisms we experience and is used to pitch us against other minorities.
We call on new government to ensure ESEA communities are included in actions to tackle structural racial injustices, empower and resource communities and to end racist immigration and social and economic policies. It is time for the Government to take decisive action against the systemic structures of discrimination.”
7. Anjona Roy, Chief Executive of Northamptons Equalities Council
“The new government has a once in a lifetime opportunity to get it right for communities and for the community and voluntary sector.
The dipropionate impact of 14 years of austerity on Black communities is a real and present truth across the country. It affects the potential of so many young people and literally reduces quality and life spans of so many individuals. This truth over the past fourteen years has been hidden in plain sight and there is a concrete stark choice for the new government whether or not it takes actions that level up for our communities. Only time will tell.”
8. Robert Taylor, Organiser of Camden Federation of Private Tenants
“The Renters Reform Bill will only truly work if central government develops a new relationship with local government as they are the key players when it comes to enforcing many of the rules and regulations in the local private rented sector (PRS). This not only requires adequate levels of multi-year funding to carry out their enforcement activities properly, but also a culture shift, whereby local authorities are encouraged and supported to increase their work in and around the PRS, especially when faced with so many other competing priorities. Councils also need to listen to the full range of people who live in this type of housing much more, and in particular those groups who are the most vulnerable to harm.”
9. Mariko Hayashi, Executive Director of Southeast and East Asian Centre CIC
“We urge the new Labour government to take leadership in addressing the systemic and root causes of identity-based and structural violence, which are direct results of anti-migrants, racist and discriminatory narratives that have been normalised by mainstream political and public debates and discourses over the years. We urge the new government to ensure all minoritised and racialised people and communities are protected regardless of their immigration, legal or administrative status.”
10. Tilly Smith, Campaigns and Partnership Officer at Generation Rent
Black and Minoritsed people are not only more likely live as private tenants, but they also experience the sharpest end of the housing and rental crisis.
"Our own research has found that ethnic minority private renters are more likely to face dangerous living conditions, experience threats of eviction, to struggle to cover the rent, and to be ignored or face gatekeeping when looking for new homes. The discrimination and inequality that minority ethnic communities face is inexcusable and unjust, and the new government must work to seriously address the multitude of issues that affect racialised and minoritised communities.
The upcoming Renters' Reform Bill is set to bring about much-needed change for all private renters - including ending Section 21 'no fault' evictions and raising standards. It is vital however that these reforms reach through to all renters, especially those from minoritised communities who face the worst that private renting has to offer. In its current form, the Bill also does little to address key affordability issues that renters face - something that minority ethnic communities struggle with the most. In particular, we need to see protections from unfair and unaffordable rent increases which we have seen put renters living in the most vulnerable and dangerous situations at risk of eviction and homelessness.
There are also wider issues beyond the Bill that must be addressed if we are to bring about wide systemic change. This includes more funding for local councils so that they can consistently enforce the law and kick out criminal landlords and letting agents from the market, changing the benefits system so that tenants can affordably cover their rents, and addressing racialised and minoritised income inequality."
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