When it comes to campaigning, academia, the media and government, whose voices count? Whose expertise do we engage with and listen to in policymaking debates and processes? And what responsibility do charities, think tanks and academics have to make sure that the voices of those they are campaigning for and/or researching are part of the broader conversation for change?
In the spring 2023 Budget, there was an unexpected £4 billion investment in early years childcare, meaning £4 in every £5 spent on childcare is now coming from the government. How does investment on this scale change the debate on childcare? What role does childcare play in changing life chances? And what would a better system look like?
Universal credit (UC) is the UK’s first digital-by-design benefit. The vast majority of UC claimants make their claims and manage their ongoing awards online, and some processes for calculating awards have been automated, including gathering employees’ earnings information directly from HM Revenue and Customs. What has been the impact of this major change in social security administration? And has this digitalisation of means-tested benefits been implemented in a way that adheres to the rule of law?
It has long been the case that having a second earner can change the risk of a family being in poverty. But it is not easy to take on paid work, and families often face lots of barriers. What are these barriers? What effect do they have on parents’ ability to work? And what role has CPAG’s Your Work Your Way project, with its tailored support approach, had in supporting potential second earners into work?
Across the UK, approximately 30 per cent of all children are living in poverty – nearly four million in total. This is already far too high, yet projections indicate this number will rise. What does this mean for children’s health? And what can be done to help medical professionals support families facing poverty and health inequalities?
The benefit cap was introduced in 2013, and limits the total amount of support some low-earning and non-working families can receive from the social security system. What has been the impact of this policy? What will a recently announced change to the cap mean for families? And does this change go far enough?
It is two and a half years since the first Covid lockdown, and while we are no longer living under emergency measures, the sense of emergency has not gone away. As the cost of living races ahead of stagnant benefit incomes, parents and carers on a low income are coming together to document their experiences and call for urgent change. What were families on a low income facing going into the pandemic? What was it like to take part in the Covid Realities research programme? And what do participants hope to achieve through the new project, Changing Realities?
Between now and the end of 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) plans to move everyone who is currently claiming ‘legacy’ benefits onto universal credit (UC). Legacy benefits are tax credits, employment and support allowance (ESA), jobseeker’s allowance, housing benefit and income support. What will the process involve? What are the risks for people affected? And is there a better way forward?
On 1 October, energy bills for a typical household were due to rise to £3,549 a year, nearly treble the cost a year before. The cost was due to jump again in January 2023. But in September the government announced that the average bill would be capped at £2,500 a year for the next two years. What impact will this have on fuel poverty, defined as spending more than 10 per cent of net income on fuel? How many households are spending even greater proportions of their income on fuel? And who will be worst affected by rising prices?
