Information Bulletin

Summary of News and Publications from the Week ending 21 February 2014

JRF Activity
Blog from Luke Sibieta The Shrinking Public Sector Workforce: How cuts will dramatically change the nature of the jobs market. Publication (summary) - Water Bill: Flood Insurance: a briefing on the social implications of the Flood. Publication (summary and full report) - Climate Change and Social Justice: an evidence review. Article from Tracey Robbins - How the benefit safety net turned into the welfare trap

Poverty
Low incomes, unemployment and benefit delays have combined to trigger increased demand for food banks, according to a long awaited report for Defra on food poverty. The report finds some evidence that welfare changes have contributed to increased demand, but has not been able to make a clear enough link. The report was completed in June 2013 and the governments opponents have accused them in recent months of suppressing the reports publication. Full report. The government should adopt a target to reduce the proportion of low paid workers, according to a new report from the Resolution Foundation. Professor George Bain, founding chair of the Low Pay Commission is leading the review on the minimum wage. The interim report recommends the level of the NMW should be set with a view to the medium term and the Low Pay Commission should have extra tools to put more pressure on employers to pay more than the NMW when they can afford to. 'Minimum Wage Act II: Options for strengthening the UK minimum wage'. A group of Anglican, Church in Wales and Quaker bishops, plus Methodist chairs, have published a signed open letter which blames cutbacks to and failures in the benefit system for forcing people to use food banks. A Demos report on Generation Y, Introducing Generation Citizen, found that four out of five young people feel negative media images of teenagers impact on their ability to get a job. Also, teenagers today are more likely to volunteer for good causes or set up their own group or social project than previous generations. For October to December 2013, the unemployment rate was 7.2%, down 0.4% from the previous quarter. 67.2% of women aged 16 to 64 were in work, which is the highest figure on record. The unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds fell by 1% to 19.9% compared to the previous quarter. Average regular earnings for the previous 12 months rose by 1% but CPI inflation rose by 2%.

The latest Labour Market Outlook from CIPD, based on a survey of over 900 employers, shows that employment growth is set to continue but more slowly in the first quarter of 2014. The mean pay increase for employers who are planning a pay review in the next 12 months is 2%. Permanent job vacancies in Scotland in January rose at their fastest rate since April 2006, according to a report from the Bank of Scotland. Childcare should account for around 10% of a familys disposable income, according to a new report from IPPR. More affordable childcare should be available to low-skilled and lone parent mothers with children two and under to get them back into work. Affordable childcare should also be a priority for parents of 3-4 year-olds to help mothers to increase their working hours. Childmind the gap: Reforming childcare to support mothers into work . Gingerbread is urging the government to change plans for childcare in next months budget. They calculate that under Universal Credit parents with income above the new income tax threshold will have to pay 15% of their childcare costs, while those under the tax threshold will have to pay 30%. A Guardian article outlines the current impasse on changing child poverty measures. The average loss of income per working-age adult in wales due to welfare reforms is 500 per year, according to the Welsh Government, which represents 930 million less money circulating in the economy. EU migrants will need to have held down a 150 a week job for at least three months to qualify as a worker and therefore have access to welfare benefits from March. What have we learned from the emotional circus of Benefits Street? A News Statesman article compares and contrasts Benefits Street with the JRF/Guardian films screened on BBC4. A new 1 million fund Together Grants for church and Christian projects tackling poverty has been launched by the Church Urban Fund.

Place
Almost 500,000 households have been affected by the bedroom tax with an average weekly deduction of 14.40. On average, London households have seen the largest reduction at 20.12. The scheme of grants for homeowners hit by the recent floods will open on 1 April. The fund will help cover future protection of the property, not the damage already sustained. A new report suggests Britains geography, weather, population concentration and economic distribution give it the seventh highest economic exposure to flooding in the world, and the second highest in Europe. Better water management techniques could have helped prevent the effect of some of the recent floods, according to an open letter from a range of professional bodies to the Prime Minister. It calls on the PM to lead a major rethink of how Britain plans its towns and countryside to prevent a repeat of this Winters problems. Also, a scientist who co-wrote a report seven years ago predicting current levels of flooding, comments on the handling of the current flood crisis.

Four of the big six energy providers will provide customers with the option of receiving direct debit refunds if they are in credit, or having the amount deducted from their next bill. DECC has extended the time available to households to apply for cash-back on energy efficiency measures through the Green Deal scheme, and has increased the amount which can be claimed for solid wall insulation, double glazing and room in roof insulation. The latest figures show that starts on new homes were 23% higher in 2013 than 2012, but the number of homes completed fell 5% on 2012 and was the lowest figure since 2010. Targets for building new homes in London are inadequate and plans to reduce overcrowding are lacking, according to the London Assembly housing committees response to the proposed housing strategy for London. The average monthly rent across Britain will pass the 1,000 mark during 2014, estimate property company Move with Us. Average advertised rents in Greater London for January 2014 have already reached 2,221 per month and 1,138 in the second most expensive region, the South East. In a survey of 262 of England's 353 local authorities, 31% said they were planning to reject the Government's offer of a 1% funding increase in return for freezing council tax bills. More than half of those councils are planning to increase bills by the maximum of 1.99%. Coordinated services for people facing a combination of problems including homelessness, can improve wellbeing and make considerable savings, according to the findings of a two year study for a group of charities, including Homeless Link.

An Ageing Society
In a study of 2,000 people over 50, the loneliest were found to be twice as likely to die over the six year study than the least lonely. Against the average person in the study, lonely people had a 14% greater risk of dying, while poverty increased the risk of death by 19%. The Chartered Institute of Housing has suggested that older people receiving Pension Credit should be exempt from stamp duty when they move to a smaller property. Following a trial with Leeds City Council, community organisations in seven areas will receive expertise and investment to deliver social care support to local people. The funding is from 1 million from social investment bank Big Society Capital. Analysis by Saga suggests the cost of living has risen more for over 50s than the general population. 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.