July 27, 2016 Leave a Comment
In our latest guest blog, University of the West of England research student Coralie Neave-Coleshaw reviews the recent UN report revealing concerns about the UK welfare system. She shows how disabled people are affected by supply-side employment policies, and argues for a sustained effort to tackle economic demand-side barriers together with effective support into work. Read more
July 18, 2016 Leave a Comment
Our latest guest writer Michael Adler from the University of Edinburgh explores ways to ameliorate the hardship caused by sanctions. He charts the rise and recent fall in numbers of benefit sanctions issued, and says that although this fall is obviously to be welcomed, sanctions are still problematic. He argues that despite making some changes to the system, the government last year rejected all recommendations that would have thrown further light on the problems of the system. Read the blog here
July 7, 2016 Leave a Comment
In her latest guest blog, disability rights advisor Laura J Welti raises an issue of practicalities for some welfare benefit recipients. Laura is Manager of Bristol Disability Equality Forum. Read her blog post here.
June 13, 2016 Leave a Comment
Our event in Glasgow on 9 June in partnership with Policy Scotland’s Welfare Reform Network was a great success. Chaired by Hugh Henry, former Convenor of the Welfare Reform Committee in the Scottish Parliament, the event included presentations of our first wave findings by research team members. Guest speakers John Dickie from Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland; and Rosalind Tyler-Greig, Inclusion Scotland, offered responses. Read the presentations and our findings paper
June 7, 2016 Leave a Comment
Come and hear about our research findings at our special events around the country. Read More
May 20, 2016 Leave a Comment
Our latest email newsletter is out now with all the news from our recent findings launch. There’s a note on the big day in London, plus links to all of our first wave findings papers. Catch up with press coverage on the findings, and get details of our other forthcoming events in England and Scotland. Find out about citations of our research in parliament. Use our easy signup at the bottom of this screen and get your copy straight away.
May 12, 2016 Leave a Comment
Reform of the welfare and benefits systems – and in particular the emphasis on trying to change behaviour through sanctions – has had a “profoundly negative effect” on the people that receive them, our collaborative study has found. Read More
April 19, 2016 Leave a Comment
Our research has been cited in the House of Lords and the Guardian recently.
The House of Lords resumed its debate on the Housing and Planning Bill on 18 April. The government’s proposal to introduce fixed-term tenancies was the subject of a series of amendments. Read More
April 12, 2016 Leave a Comment
In our latest guest opinion piece, Dr David Webster from the University of Glasgow gives his critical view on the presentation of sanction figures. After their election in 2010, he writes, ministers embarked on a campaign of ‘sanctions’, that is, withdrawals of benefit, against claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance. They inherited a level of 533,000 a year, but drove it up to a peak of over one million in the year to October 2013, while also increasing the length of the penalties. Numbers of sanctions have since fallen, but only to a rate which is similar to the highest seen before 2010. It happened without any announcement, taking claimants and voluntary organisations by surprise. Read the full blog post
April 11, 2016 Leave a Comment
Publications We’ll be setting out our key ‘first wave’ findings across the nine policy and service areas we’re studying on 12 May. There will be an overview to draw together the main themes. The papers will be available here on our website. Read More
