Evaluating the Commission
We’ve been very grateful to the team of Laura, Hannah and Teagan from the University of Sheffield who’ve evaluated our first commission and produced this report.
We wanted to share it as is for everyone.
Evaluation finds a strong foundation for lasting change
An evaluation by researchers at the University of Sheffield has found that Sheffield’s first Poverty Truth Commission has increased understanding of poverty, empowered Community Commissioners and begun to influence organisational practice across the city.
The evaluation, published in April 2026, explored the experiences of Community Commissioners, Civic Commissioners and Steering Group members through interviews and questionnaires at two stages of the Commission. It considered the Commission’s effectiveness, its impact on communities, and its potential to be sustained or repeated.
One of the clearest findings was that the Commission helped participants develop a deeper understanding of poverty and the complex systems people must navigate. Civic Commissioners described becoming more empathetic, questioning simplistic solutions and changing how they approach their work. Some had already begun exploring how lived experience could be included more consistently in organisational decision-making.
Community Commissioners reported feeling heard, more confident and empowered to share their experiences. The evaluation highlights the power of personal storytelling in challenging stereotypes, building connections and turning difficult experiences into a force for positive change.
Relationships were central to this progress. By bringing people with lived experience together with leaders from public services, businesses and voluntary organisations, the Commission created space for honest—and sometimes uncomfortable—conversations. Over time, these conversations helped break down barriers and replace an “us and them” dynamic with a stronger sense of working together.
The report also identifies important learning. It recommends maintaining a more even balance between Community and Civic Commissioners, gathering feedback throughout the process and allowing more time for relationships to develop. Crucially, Community Commissioners should remain involved in decisions and in putting the Commission’s recommendations into practice, rather than their role ending once their stories have been heard.
The evaluation also calls for clearer responsibilities, stronger communication and a plan for embedding recommendations. It recommends developing ways to record progress and demonstrate the Commission’s longer-term impact.
Researchers caution that it is still too early to assess the full effect on policy and services. However, collaborations have already opened possible pathways to change, while some organisations have begun adapting their thinking and practice.
The evaluation concludes that Sheffield’s first Commission has laid a positive foundation. Its impact has been described as a “ripple”: beginning with changed relationships, growing confidence and deeper understanding, with the potential to spread across organisations and the wider city. The challenge now is to build on that foundation and turn learning, relationships and recommendations into lasting action.