Information Bulletin

Summary of Reports, Statistics and News from the Week ending 5 September 2014

Poverty
The Resolution Foundation will publish analysis later this month which shows that the
proportion of people aged 21 to 30 who are classed as low paid had risen in the last forty
years from 8% to 29%. Conversely, the proportion of 51 to 60 year olds who are low paid
has fallen to 16%.

The number of state boarding schools should be expanded for children from disadvantaged
backgrounds, recommends a new report from the Centre for Social Justice. Closing the
Divide: Tackling educational inequality in England.

The number of people in the UK who are underemployed has risen to 3.4 million, according
to TUC analysis, a million higher than before the recession, and almost half a million higher
than in 2010. Northern Ireland and Scotland have seen the highest rises since 2010 of 37%
and 27% respectively.

A new report by the Incomes Data Services concludes that a labour market where job
creation is concentrated in low paying industries and rising levels of under-employment,
have combined to create a situation where pay settlements are keeping pace with inflation,
but weekly earnings growth is at a record low.

According to the latest CBI/KPMG London Business Survey, 45% of respondents also said
that not all their current staff have the right skills for the job. This reflects recent figures from
the UKCES Employer Skills Survey which found the number of cases where employers in
London are unable to fill vacancies, due to a lack of applicants with the right skills, has more
than doubled since 2011.

Debt charity StepChange says the number of people contacting them regarding problems
with PayDay loan debt is still continuing to increase. In the first half of 2014, the number of
enquirers contacting StepChange with this problem rose by 42% to 43,716.

The London Councils, the collective body for Londons boroughs, has warned that the Early
Years Pupil Premium will not be sufficient to provide extra support in the capital, unless a
London weighting is added.

This weeks pre-manifesto published by the Liberal Democrats includes a proposal for 15
hours a week of free childcare for all two-year-olds.

A money advice service for people receiving Universal Credit is being trialled at four job
centres across the country, having found some claimants have fallen behind with their rent
and a low take up of other local money advice opportunities with the CAB or the council.

Place
A new report from the Centre for Cities (funded by JRF) shows that some cities have been
harder hit than others by changes in the labour market. Average earnings vary significantly
across cities because of the differences in proportions of high and low pay jobs, even when
the cost of living is taken into account. One in three workers in Hull earns less than two
thirds of the median wage, compared to one in ten in most cities in the Greater South East.
The labour market has polarised between and high and low paid jobs in most cities, but
some cities have seen larger falls in middle-income jobs. Unequal Opportunity: How Jobs
are Changing in Cities.

Only 32% of the 61,000 respondents to the Big Tenants Survey 2014, were satisfied that
their Landlord listens to them and acts upon their views and only 22% feel that their
Landlord cares about them and their family. Only 25% of the tenants surveyed felt they fully
understood welfare reform.

The Wolfson Economics Prize, which this year was a competition on how to deliver a new
garden city, has been won by a proposal which recommends increasing the size of 40
existing towns and cities with garden city extensions over a period of around 35 years,
providing homes for 150,000 extra people per town. One in five homes would be classed as
affordable housing. Cities identified as suitable for expansion include York.

Landlords should be offered extra tax breaks in return for signing up for a national
accreditation scheme to raise standards in the private rented sector, recommends a new
report from the CIH and the Resolution Foundation. It also calls for a single set of clear
minimum standards covering both property conditions and housing management, with
enough resources made available to enforce them. More than a roof: how incentives can
improve standards in the private rented sector.

Demand for private rental properties increased by an estimated 18% in the year to July, with
an average of 7 tenants chasing each new property on the market, according to analysis of
letting figures by estate agents Sequence.

An Ageing Society
New care homes and housing for older people should be built on the same sites as other
community services such as libraries, doctors surgeries and nurseries to help reduce the
segregation of generations, recommends the final report from the Commission on
Residential Care, which was backed by Demos. Unused land owned by NHS trusts and the
Ministry of Defence could also be used for new developments which include care homes and
retirement villages. A Vision for care Fit for the Twenty-First Century.

The Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England (Barker Commission)
has published its final report. Care that is currently defined as critical should become free at
the point of use, ending the current distinction between NHS Continuing Healthcare and
social care. As the economy improves, free care should be extended to include those with
substantial needs and to those with moderate needs by 2025 at an estimated cost of 14
billion. A New Settlement for Health and Social Care: final report. See also Infographic
summary.

The number of people going bankrupt has fallen since the recession with the exception of
pensioners, with 22% more over 65s becoming insolvent now than in 2009 at the height of
the recession. Low annuity and interest rates mean incomes are lower than many would
have expected when planning retirement.

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.