Information Bulletin

Summary of Reports, Statistics and Policy News from the Week ending 30 January 2015

JRF Activity
Blog from Helen Barnard - The trouble with education is that politicians keep trying to fix it
Publication - Does money in adulthood affect adult outcomes?
Blog from Helen Barnard Lowering the benefits cap makes least well-off poorer
Blog from Julia Unwin - Ignoring persistent poverty is no way to build a thriving economy

Work and Worth

Real hourly wages between 2008 and 2014 fell by 7.3% for men but only 2.5% for women,
according to new analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies of earnings since the recession. There
are also differences between age groups hourly pay for employees aged 60 and over reverted to
its 2008 level in 2014, but was 9% lower for workers aged 22-29.
Poorer groups have been worst affected by the Coalitions changes to direct taxes, benefits and
tax credits, while families with young children have been hit harder than any other household type,
according to a new report. Real spending per child on early education, childcare and Sure Start
services fell by a quarter between 2009-10 and 2012-13 and tax-benefit reforms hit families with
children under five harder than any other household type. The work collates nine papers and was
carried out by the LSE with the Universities of York and Manchester and was co-funded by the
Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The Coalitions Social Policy Record: Policy, Spending and
Outcomes 2010-2015 Full report and Summary.
The research follows a similar review of the Labour social policy record, published in 2013,
Labours Social Policy Record: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 1997-2010
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has published a briefing note Benefit spending and reforms: the
coalition government's record.
People who are deaf can expect everyday living to cost 80% more than for a non-disabled person,
and 25% more for people with sight loss. The figures are from a new study on minimum income
standards which is the first tailored for people with disabilities. 'Disability and minimum living
standards: The additional costs of living for people who are sight impaired and people who are
Deaf'.
A new IPPR report sets out proposals to raise the employment rate of disabled people and reduce
long-term unemployment. Among the recommendations are locally-led and supported employment
programmes for ESA claimants, reducing the flow to ESA by putting stronger obligations on
employers and employees to exhaust rehabilitation opportunities during sickness absence, and the
state taking on sick pay liability for ex-ESA claimants, starting with small firms, to reduce the risk of
hiring those with a health condition or disability. Promoting contribution: Boosting employment
opportunity for all.

Britains welfare system should be radically reformed to allow different rates of benefits across the
country, according to the report Responsive Welfare from Citizens Advice. It proposes the welfare
budget should be devolved to local councils, who would be allocated funds depending on workingage population and levels of deprivation. The national budget, it argues, cannot be tailored
properly to regional variances in the cost of housing, wages, childcare, petrol, public transport and
energy costs.
50% of carers report feeling depressed, 83% lonely and isolated and 57% have lost touch with
family and friends, all as a result of their caring role, according to Alone and Caring: Isolation,
loneliness and the impact of caring on relationships, a new report from Carers UK.
Recommendations include a radical improvement in the financial support available to carers and
their families to prevent poverty and hardship and a clear duty on NHS bodies to identify carers
and promote their health and well-being.
Brent has become the first council to reduce business rates for companies which have adopted the
living wage, and Greenwich is expected to follow suit.
In Wales, the overall the gap in performance between children receiving free school meals and
other children has narrowed over the last four years at Key Stages 2 and 3, but widened at Key
Stage 4, say official figures. The gap in performance also increases with key stage level.
The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on its proposed arrangements to further
support the educational attainment of children who are looked after. The deadline for responses is
4 May 2015.

Individuals and Relationships

The Office for National Statistics has published Measuring National Well-being - An
Analysis of Social Capital in the UK a summary of statistics across a range of measures. One
measure shows 11% of people reported feeling lonely all, or more than half of the time. Among
those reporting feeling lonely all of the time, nearly half also reported feeling left out of
Society.
Around a million or 10% of older people are chronically lonely at any one time in the UK, and the
number is forecast to rise by 50% by 2028, according to a new report from Age UK and The
Campaign to End Loneliness, Promising approaches to reducing loneliness and isolation
in later life. Chronic loneliness seriously increased the risk of mental and physical illness.
Latest official figures on households and family types, shows that in the ten years to 2014,
households containing two or more families were the fastest growing household type, increasing
by 56% to 313,000 households. The number of lone parent families grew by almost 12% to 2
million. In 2014, 46% of families with dependent children had only one dependent child, 40% had
two and 14% three or more. Families and Households 2014 from the ONS.

The Places People Live

In order to meet the challenge of an ageing population, housing associations must engage with
current and future older residents as well as using data, according to a new report from the Smith
Institute. It also recommends better planning for existing stock and new build, creating strong
partnerships with health and social care providers and developing services based on personal,
social and economic wellbeing. It also calls for a step change in government funding for housing
investment, to ensure sufficient funding to meet the housing needs of older people.
(report funded by Genesis Housing Association) Are housing associations ready for an ageing
population?.

A new report from the University of Birmingham looks at the impact on social housing of diverse
ethnicities (superdiversity) alongside poverty, disadvantage and austerity. It explores the
marginalised status of social housing in the UK and advocates a role for housing associations in
questioning negative media stereotypes and misleading representations of social housing tenants.
The challenges of superdiversity for social housing.
A Scottish risk and resilience study of housing organisations and council social housing providers
concludes that they help tackle poverty, provide shelter and often play leading community anchor
roles. The report, by the University of Glasgow's Policy Scotland, in partnership with Wheatley
Group examines 'what is 21st century social housing for?'.
A new report from the Policy Exchange seeks to demonstrate how local authorities can work with a
predicted funding shortfall of 12.4 billion by 2020, by re-inventing the way they work and using the
principles of digital government to do more and better with less, through smarter use of technology
and data. Small Pieces Loosely Joined: How smarter use of technology and data can deliver real
reform of local government.
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not have a good enough
understanding of the impact of funding reductions on local authorities finances or on services,
according to a new report from the Public Accounts Committee. The report claims DCLG does not
have data on service levels, service quality, and financial sustainability and so do not know the
amount of funding required to maintain statutory services to a minimum standard and therefore
cannot ensure that local authorities are able to fulfil their statutory duties.
Only one new affordable home has been built for more than every five sold in the social housing
sector under the right-to-buy scheme, according to official figures, which doesnt reflect the
Department for Communities and Local Governments stated aim in 2011, to replace every
property sold under the scheme going forward, reports the Guardian.
Analysis from the BBC suggests that the spend by councils in England per person aged 65 and
over on care, has fallen by 20% in the last ten years.
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.