A year ago today I had the privilege of editing The Press, a landmark edition which coincided with a big day for this city: City of York Council, working with partners, approved a package of measures and ambitious targets to reduce poverty across the city.

The very fact that the City made this commitment is heartening and gives great optimism for the future. It represents a commitment address poverty, recognising that it is not inevitable, and that there are things that can be done locally even in very difficult financial times.

The York Financial Assistance scheme has helped 1,700 people in financial difficulty, 200 people have switched to a cheaper energy supplier in a scheme organised by the council, and there has been 100% take up of free childcare places amongst all eligible two year olds. Steps are being taken to ensure families who need free school meals benefit from them.

We have also seen the Living Wage – a kite mark of decency and an important step towards poverty-reduction – gain traction. Private sector firms such as Nestle see the clear business case for paying the rate, meaning workers and the local economy will benefit. The compelling work of the Living Wage Commission, led by the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, has also paved the way for government and firms to reduce in-work poverty by one million in five years’ time.

In difficult times, the city’s volunteers have responded: 6,000 people used food banks in York and North Yorkshire over the past year. Without the hard work and kindness of people giving up their time to help others, many thousands of people would be facing hunger and further difficulties. Their expertise has also helped people navigate a complex and challenging welfare system, protecting against destitution.

Progress has been made and the hard work must be applauded. But there is so much more to be done: the supply and cost of affordable housing in York is an acute problem and we need to champion the Living Wage further to make our city the first ‘Living Wage City’, a key recommendation of the 2012 Fairness Commission. On both fronts, I hope that York will live up to its historic achievements in pioneering reform and social change.

Of course the answers are not held in one city alone. Clearly there are big structural problems which contribute to poverty. Linking the worst off areas to the recovering economy, overcoming our chronic shortage of family homes and addressing widespread low pay and high costs will be crucial.

But the city does have one crucial ingredient in the fight against poverty. The city’s economy is recovering and enjoys higher employment levels compared to the UK average. The challenge now is to make sure that the poorest people and places benefit from that growth. Poverty is never cost free. It is expensive, and wasteful: child poverty alone costs the North Yorkshire economy £226 million every year, according to figures from the Child Poverty Action Group, and we will never return to the sort of long term prosperity and growth we need while there are still people struggling just to get by.

It is vital that we keep up the momentum and be a beacon for other cities to follow. For the thousands of families still experiencing hardship on our doorstep, we cannot afford to slow down now.

Julia Unwin is Chief Executive of the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust