Introduction

In the face of austerity measures, a wide array of third sector entities, including charities, voluntary organizations and community groups, have increasingly taken on the role of providing essential public services. Their collective mission is to address the adverse consequences stemming from government spending cuts, offering innovative solutions and tangible support, with the aim of alleviating the grassroots impacts of state retrenchment. This chapter extends the previous discussion of how budget cuts have unevenly affected service provision by exploring in further detail how these responses to austerity not only reflect, but also exert influence on different forms of inequality. It accomplishes this by utilizing qualitative case study research centred on local government austerity within Bristol, a city characterized by divisions (Runnymede Trust, 2016). Specifically, the chapter examines the consequences of austerity cuts and the corresponding responses in areas of the city characterized by different levels of deprivation. Through this analysis, concerns arise regarding the adequacy of the ‘emerging system of crisis-driven assistance’ (MacLeavy, 2023: 5) in addressing socioeconomic disparities. It becomes evident that the geographical distribution of (dis)advantage is a determining factor in who bears the brunt of the dismantling of public spaces and institutions that have historically served as catalysts for personal and community development. The reduction of funding for educational institutions like schools, public resources such as libraries, community and recreation centres, as well as public parks and playgrounds has implications for daily life, life opportunities and life course trajectories, reinforcing various aspects of inequality.

To gain a fuller understanding and appreciation of the unevenness that exists at the local level owing to disparities in government support and variations in the capacity of third sector, voluntary and community organizations relative to service needs, the chapter progresses from this overview of the urban landscape to a more concentrated examination of developments in one specific locale, the inner-city ward of Lawrence Hill. This location has been the focal point of my research for nearly two decades, affording me the opportunity to evaluate the gradual, incremental effects of welfare state retrenchment as manifested in the outcomes of past policy decisions and (in)actions, as well as observed changes since 2010 (see also MacLeavy, 2024). The discussion centres the views of individuals and groups actively engaged in ‘filling the gaps’ of the retreating state through their paid or volunteer roles in service delivery and support in (and around) the area.