Information Bulletin

Summary of News and Publications from the Week ending 11 October 2013

JRF Activity
Help us Reframe Dementia for the 21st Century Blog from Philly Hare.

Poverty
14% of (non-student) workers in London and 17% of workers across the UK as a whole have been stuck in low pay (hourly pay below the Living Wage) for at least a year, according to a new report from the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion. 21% of London workers are paid below the appropriate Living Wage rate, compared with 25% of workers outside London. Low paid workers that change jobs see far greater wage progression than those that do not: 33% compared with 9%. A new report from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission is calling on businesses to take more action on social mobility. It recommends that top graduate employers select from a wider range of universities and that screening methods for school leavers take into account the context of the school in which the qualifications were achieved. It also suggests that employers open up structured non-graduate routes like Higher Apprenticeships and school leaver programmes. Business and Social Mobility: A manifesto for change. Too Young to Fail a new report from Save the Children, concludes that by the age of seven, almost 80% of the gap in GCSE results between disadvantaged and better-off children has already been determined. Fewer than one in six children from low-income families who have fallen behind by the age of seven will go on to achieve five good GCSEs, including English and maths. A new study from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that 16-24 year olds in England scored the lowest in the industrialised world on literacy and numeracy tests, ranking 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy out of 24 countries. England was also the only country where young people performed worse than people in the 55-65 age group. The report cites the results as a cause for worry in a country with a demanding job market and where economic and social rewards for having high skills are particularly high. Theresa May has introduced the new Immigration Bill which is expected to become law in spring 2014. It is intended to make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to settle in the UK by making it harder to access certain services. Under the Bill, private landlords, banks and the DVLA will be required to check the immigration status of applicants. Temporary legal migrants will be required to make a contribution for using the NHS. Opponents of the Bill cite some of the checks as bureaucratic and unworkable. A coalition of charity, community and faith organisations has launched the Who Benefits? campaign to gather stories from anyone who has been supported by benefits at some time in their life. It aims to help change the debate on benefits and attitudes. The charities supporting the campaign are the Children's Society, Crisis, Gingerbread, Macmillan Cancer Support and Mind.

In the draft budget for 2014/15 announced this week by the Welsh Government, the Jobs Growth Wales programme to tackle youth unemployment has been extended for a further year and the commitment to apprenticeships has been extended. The Flying Start free childcare and parenting support scheme will receive an additional 11 million to double the number of children benefiting by 2016. The Pupil Deprivation Grant will be extended to 201516 and in 2014-15 support will increase from 450 per pupil to 918. The health budget has been increased by 150 million, and a new 50 million intermediate care fund has been announced to help integrate health and care. After a legal challenge, the High Court will decide whether the governments benefit cap breaches the human rights of vulnerable people within a month. Two judges are being asked to rule that benefit capping regulations are unlawful and breach the human rights of out-of-work women struggling to bring up families on their own.

Place
14-18 October is York Housing Week heres a list of all the events. The Green Deal is financially unattractive and uncompetitive, too complex and not suitable for social housing organisations, according to a report on Green Deal this week from an AllParty Parliamentary Group. The report notes that in Germany, interest on loans for energy efficiency work is as little at 1-2%, and has resulted in significant carbon emission improvements to existing housing stock. Among the recommendations are a review of the Green Deal and a consultation on a new Green Deal for Social Landlords. The report is the result of the Commission of Inquiry into Sustainable Construction and the Green Deal. A new publication from Shelter Scotland calls on the Scottish Government to establish an expert working group to develop a ten year action plan for homelessness and housing advice services in Scotland. Shelter recommends that the plan should result in: A personcentred service and integrated services; Tailored services for at risk groups; A pathway out of housing crisis; Consistent, outcomes based services and a stable housing sector. People not process: An action plan for the delivery of Scotlands homelessness commitment. Building Homes for Generation Rent - A new report from the Resolution Foundation outlines an economically workable model that demonstrates how large-scale investment in building private rental homes can be profitable enough to attract fund managers and institutional investors. The YMCA in Waltham Forest, London, has been given planning permission to erect mYPad housing projects, which covert shipping containers into affordable studio apartments for young people. Banks are already reported to be offering mortgage deals which undercut the newly launched Help to Buy scheme. The Department for Communities and Local Government has announced 100m investment for enterprise zones to help complete infrastructure projects and compete for new businesses that will create jobs.

A new report from The Housing Forum and the NHBC looks at how housing is one of the few industries where digital technology has yet to transform the consumer experience. To help drive improved space standards and energy efficiency for new build housing, it recommends the introduction of home performance labels showing property size and energy consumption in a standard format to help consumers quickly compare houses. It also recommends variable tax and council tax rates to encourage quality improvements and help establish energy efficiency as a differentiator. Energy saving is as much about behaviour as energy saving measures, according to new research from the University of Salford Energy Hub research group. A laboratory controlled house was programmed with energy behaviours of two contrasting fictional couples and found good energy use habits could save up to 600 per year.

An Ageing Society
Leonard Cheshire Disability has published a report Ending 15 Minute Care which found that councils are increasing the number of 15 minute home care visits for elderly and disabled people, which are insufficient to carry out essential tasks. In the past five years, the proportion of visits lasting 15 minutes or less has risen by 15%. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published its review of home care for older people. The report warns that the way care is currently commissioned is leading to inadequate pay, highly pressured working conditions for care workers and more threats to older people's human rights. The report also reviewed the action local authorities had taken to address the recommendations made in the original EHRC inquiry in 2011 only 66% of local authorities responded and only 70% of these report they had taken some action to implement them. Two amendments to the Care Bill have been passed in the House of Lords, which propose that councils consider housing provision and co-operate with social housing providers when commissioning care and support services. NICE has launched a consultation and is inviting comments on the scope of the public health guidance it will be developing on independence and mental wellbeing for older people. The deadline for responses is 25 October 2013. Birmingham City Council and the University of Birmingham have published a policy paper which identifies the opportunity for the adult social care system in Birmingham to work much more creatively with social capital and community resources. The paper argues that the current adult social care system in the UK is not fit for purpose in the 21st century. The research included a review of local authority websites and interviews with key stakeholders at local and national level in the field, to develop a report to guide the Birmingham City Councils thinking on a new adult social care offer. Turing the welfare state upside down? Developing a new adult social care offer. Over the next 10 years, one in eight grandparents (1.7 million over-55s) expect to have to help pay grandchildrens university fees while simultaneously funding their own retirement. The International Longevity Centre will publish a report later in October on the full extent of grandparent giving. Researchers at the University of Leicester have developed an orally administered drug which could prevent neurodegeneration, making it a possible candidate for treating dementia in the future, although it has yet to be tested on humans.

People
Mark Prisk has been replaced as Minister for Housing by Kris Hopkins, a junior minister. A second junior minister, Stephen Williams is reported to be sharing some of the duties, according to investigations by Inside Housing. The shadow housing minister Jack Dromey has been replaced by Emma Reynolds. Esther McVey has been promoted to Minister of State for Employment at the Department for Work and Pensions. This Information Bulletin is produced on a weekly basis as an update for staff at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) for the purposes of their work it is not intended to be comprehensive but represents a selection of news and reports appearing in the last week. The items contained in this Bulletin are for information only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the JRF and JRHT.