Bolton’s Child Poverty Crisis: Why Businesses Must Act Now to Support Young People
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Published: October 2025
The Cost of Neglect: Bolton’s Child Poverty Crisis
Bolton is facing a child poverty crisis. Over 41.6% of children live below the poverty line — one of the highest rates in Greater Manchester and among the worst in the UK. This means more than 33,000 children are growing up in poverty.
These young people are not just numbers. They are care-leavers, young people with SEND, teenagers at risk of youth justice involvement, and families struggling with the cost of living.
Too often, wealthy individuals and businesses remain detached from this reality. But poverty and exclusion fuel cycles of homelessness, crime, and trauma — and ignoring it comes at a social and economic cost for all of us.
Poverty and Justice: Why Empathetic Leadership Matters
Poverty and justice are inseparable. If justice means fairness, then a system where a child’s postcode dictates their opportunities is unjust.
Real leadership in Bolton must be rooted in empathy and action. Businesses cannot stand on the sidelines. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) must go beyond branding — it must translate into real opportunities for real young people.
At Genuine Futures CIC, our lived-experience team sees this every day. We know that within every young person are hidden entrepreneurs and leaders who have been overlooked, written off, or denied opportunity.
The Stark Reality in Bolton
- 45% of children in Bolton live in poverty – around 33,000 children.
- Across Greater Manchester, 30.4% of children live in poverty, with Bolton among the hardest hit.
- Thousands of young people leave care or school in Bolton each year without pathways into training, jobs, or apprenticeships.
- Youth homelessness and care leavers are rising, with many young people sofa-surfing or at risk of rough sleeping.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
- Child poverty and youth disengagement carry huge costs for society.
- Youth reoffending costs the UK over £1.5 billion per year.
- Every NEET young person costs the economy around £56,000 over their lifetime, in lost productivity, welfare, and public services.
- In Bolton, with thousands of NEET young people, this represents a multi-million-pound burden on the local economy.
By contrast, early intervention, enterprise pathways, and mentoring save money:
For every £1 invested in prevention programmes like Boss Your Future, the social return can be £7–£9 through reduced offending, increased employment, and stronger communities.
Genuine Futures: Creating Hope and Opportunity
At the Young Futures Hub, we work with young people aged 12–25 (including NEET and SEND young people, care leavers, and those at risk of youth justice involvement).
Through projects like Boss Your Future, Restore Young Futures, and We Shine Any Car (our youth-led car wash and vehicle maintenance enterprise, based at The Scrappers), we provide:
- Enterprise training and real-world work experience
- Coaching and mentoring
- Accredited employability and digital skills
- Safe spaces for connection, conversation, and belonging
- A network of belief, trust, and encouragement
When young people are given trust and tools, they don’t just learn skills — they gain confidence, resilience, and self-belief that lasts for life.
Why Businesses Must Act
Bolton’s child poverty crisis cannot be solved by government alone. Businesses and community leaders must play their part.
By engaging with projects like Genuine Futures, you can:
- Offer apprenticeships, training, and mentoring to disadvantaged young people
- Support youth-led enterprise initiatives like We Shine Any Car
- Invest in Bolton’s future workforce through CSR partnerships
- Help reduce long-term public costs by preventing poverty, homelessness, and crime
As one parent recently shared:
“My son’s confidence has flipped 180. He feels like he belongs. The encouragement and belief around him is truly future proof.”
A Call to Action for Bolton’s Leaders
Bolton’s children and young people deserve better. 41.6% living in poverty is not just a statistic — it is a call to action.
We urge Bolton’s business owners, employers, and decision-makers:
- Visit the Young Futures Hub.
- Meet the young people.
- See the transformation happening.
- Be part of the solution.
Corporate leadership must be measured not just in profits, but in the futures we help to build.
Final Word
At Genuine Futures CIC, our message is simple:
We see talent everywhere. But opportunity is not. That is why we exist — to bridge the gap and provide justice in action. Because when young people shine, Bolton shines with them.