The current cost of living is pushing more people into poverty, with almost 68% of low income...
Housing
-
21/06/2012
Cutting council tax support in Wales
Any cuts to council tax support in Wales are bound to hit lower-income households, says a think-tank briefing.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has examined the likely impact on Wales of the UK government’s proposal to devolve council tax support from 2013/14 onwards, and to cut funding for it by 10 per cent. The briefing looks at the options available to the Welsh Government.
Category: Reports -
18/06/2012
62 per cent of households get benefits
Sixty-two per cent of all households (or ‘benefit units’) get at least one form of state support, including tax credits, retirement pension and child benefit, according to the latest official survey results for 2010/11. This is broadly similar to the previous year.
The Family Resources Survey, which interviewed 25,000 households in 2010/11, collects information on the incomes and circumstances of private households in the UK.
Category: Reports -
14/06/2012
Households below average income – 2010/11 report
Reductions in relative poverty continued in 2010/11, according to the latest official figures. But unlike in previous years, this did not reflect rising absolute living standards among poorer households – instead, it reflected big falls in median incomes.
The annual report examines trends in the number of UK households on below-average incomes.
Category: Reports -
14/06/2012
Cuts to local housing allowance – early impact
Just over two-thirds of housing benefit claimants in the private rented sector (and 8 out of 10 new claimants) face a ‘shortfall’ between their local housing allowance (LHA) and their rent, according to new research.
Sheffield Hallam University researchers examined the initial reactions of tenants and landlords to cuts in LHAs introduced in April 2011. From that date rates were capped at £250 per week for a one-bedroom property, rising to £400 per week for four bedrooms or more. The five-bedroom rate was scrapped. In addition, from October 2011, LHAs were set at the 30th percentile of local rents rather than the median (average).
Category: Reports -
13/06/2012
Does social housing harm social mobility?
There is no evidence that social housing harms social mobility, according to a taskforce of MPs and peers. Nonetheless, there are risks in stigmatising social housing and the people who live in social houses.
The cross-party taskforce looked at how housing policy can be used to promote social mobility. It found that:
Category: Reports -
07/06/2012
Economic Participation in the PSE survey
The aim of this paper is to provide the rationale for the aspects of work that need to be covered, and to identify suitable questions for the main PSE survey to gather the required data. Where possible, it will look to build on questions and instruments that have been used in previous surveys, and to use standardised definitions where these exist. When looking at paid work, data from two large surveys on employment quality are analysed to assess the suitability of various indicators.
Category: Methods development -
07/06/2012
PSE Measures Review Paper: Children’s Deprivation Items
This paper aims to provide a critical review of the children’s items used in the PSE 1999 survey and to provide suggestions for improvements in the current survey. Two lists of deprivation items (short and long) are presented for consideration, along with an analysis of items according to the age of children and recommendations about which age groups items are relevant for. The paper is written for people who are familiar with the socially perceived necessities method.
Category: Methods development -
07/06/2012
Housing and the Living Environment Indicators in the PSE survey
This paper discusses indicators to housing and the living environment, Domain 10 of the Bristol Social Exclusion Matrix (BSEM), for use in the Poverty and Social Exclusion survey. Indicators that capture the relationship between poverty and housing must give a good picture of the following main areas: the physical quality of housing; the degree of (over)crowdedness; the suitability for the specific needs of the household; the security of tenure and the affordability of housing. The effect of housing on other measures of poverty and social exclusion extend to the quality of the neighbourhood and the wider area in which housing is located, referred to as the living environment, which will be measured through various indicators of neighbourhood quality.
Category: Methods development -
04/06/2012
Incomes and spending – 1977 and 2012 compared
People in general have become much better off in the last 35 years, says a think-tank analysis, with household incomes more than doubling. But although this extra wealth has been shared among all family types, it has been accompanied by a very big increase in inequality.
Researchers at the Institute for Fiscal Studies marked the Diamond Jubilee by looking at changes in incomes and spending since 1977 – the year of the Silver Jubilee.
Category: Reports -
04/06/2012
EU role in minimum income protection?
Researchers in Antwerp have raised the possibility of European Union involvement in setting minimum income levels – while acknowledging the idea currently seems like a political ‘no-go area’ for some richer member states.
Category: Reports
