🗣️ 'The government should implement rent regulation, tailored to Britain’s housing market and designed to address the clear affordability pressure affecting renters.' Read the latest from @thefabians.bsky.social on why rent controls are both urgent and necessary 👇

Fabian Society@thefabians.bsky.social · 2d ago

"Many countries similar to the UK have implemented various forms of rent controls, to provide renters with stability and security" The rental market is failing renters - Labour should intervene to regulate rents, writes @cllrmarcus.bsky.social fabians.org.uk/priced-out/

Following our recent work on UK poverty data gaps, we’ve launched a new project focused on ethnicity and poverty data in Northern Ireland, funded by the @jrf-uk.bsky.social Insight Infrastructure, and supported by JRF NI. Find out more (and how to contribute): rss.org.uk/news-publica...

RSS launch new research into data gaps in Northern Ireland

rss.org.uk

Political capital may be needed to reform social care, but getting it right would also help rebuild trust between citizens and the state, writes Lucy Bush, Director of Research and Participation at @demos-uk.bsky.social

The social contract for care is breaking down. Andy Burnham has a chance to rebuild it

There are few better places to begin rebuilding trust in government than social care.

politicshome.com

The research, 'I'm Beyond Stressed', analysed thousands of conversations in online support spaces to expose a breakdown in the social care contract. The findings show how citizens are battling confusing assessments, bureaucratic hurdles and delays in support when it's needed most. ⬇️

‘I’m beyond stressed’: Trends in online conversations about poverty and social care

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

In this morning’s speech, Andy Burnham committed to urgently needed reforms on #socialcare. Director of Research and Participation, Lucy Bush writes for @politicshome.bsky.social on what our new research with @jrf-uk.bsky.social reveals about people’s real experiences with the social care system. ⬇️

The social contract for care is breaking down. Andy Burnham has a chance to rebuild it

There are few better places to begin rebuilding trust in government than social care.

politicshome.com

We've just finished hearing from the new Prime Minister @andyburnham.bsky.social about his plans to tackle the social care crisis. The gap between people's expectations when seeking government support for social care and the reality of how they experience it has grown into a gulf. 🧵

What is more, it's popular. 59% of the public favour welfare reform that targets the underlying causes of people's need to claim benefits, far more popular than cutting eligibility (20%) or benefit rates (8%). 3/3 Read more here: www.jrf.org.uk/social-secur...

How to reduce pressure on welfare spend in a popular and lasting way

The new prime minister wants to reduce social security spend by tackling underlying causes of need, not with blunt cuts. This would be popular and effective.

jrf.org.uk

Jobs & affordable housing will reduce UC spending- @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis shows: 👷‍♀️Every 100,000 extra people working: c£700m 💼Every 100,000 extra sick and disabled people able to work: c£1.3bn 🏘️Every 100,000 new social homes built: c£300m 🏠Modest rent control: c£800m 2/3

The PM has described his changes to technical education as not just an education reform but a different approach to welfare too. It's refreshing, and he's right. Tackling the failures that put pressure on our welfare system is the route to popular and lasting change. 1/3

The report also sets out five practical recommendations to begin rebuilding trust - from reforming social care means testing and NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), to improving care-related welfare systems and reviewing carer's allowance. 📕 Read the full report here: demos.co.uk/research/im-...

‘I’m beyond stressed’: Trends in online conversations about poverty and social care

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

The findings point to more than a funding challenge. They reveal a growing breakdown in trust between citizens and the state, with too many people encountering bureaucracy and distrust when they need support most.

We identify five key themes: 1️⃣ An expectation gap between what people expect and receive 2️⃣ People feel they have to fight for support 3️⃣ Systems feel rigid and oppressive 4️⃣ The burden falls on carers and care recipients 5️⃣ Social care can be life-changing - if people can access it

Drawing on nearly 60,000 conversations in online support spaces, the report uses people's lived experiences of social care to shine a light on the wider challenges facing public services - and what it will take to rebuild the social contract.

Andy Burnham's first 100 days as Prime Minister will set the tone for his government. If rebuilding trust is the mission, #socialcare should be one of the first places to start. New Demos research with @jrf-uk.bsky.social reveals a growing breakdown in the social care contract. 🧵

‘I’m beyond stressed’: Trends in online conversations about poverty and social care

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

Disappointing to hear this from the Secretary of State - the government should look at the evidence for rent caps more closely. Average rents have risen faster than wages for 11 of the past 15 years. The cost of renting crisis is not going away. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Angela Rayner rules out rent controls in England

The housing secretary tells the BBC that the Renters Rights' Act is already having a significant impact on the market.

bbc.co.uk

When pay runs out before the end of the week, it's irrelevant whether the next thing you need costs 50p or £50. Before getting in an arithmetic tangle over 50p>0, pause instead on what you would do if one week you had to choose between feeding your kids or brushing their teeth.

LBC@lbc.co.uk · 2w ago

"You're telling me people in this country can't afford a 50p toothbrush?" "Yes." @nickferrarilbc.bsky.social is in disbelief at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's latest study into the cost of living.

🚨 JUST IN: a record number of people are going without essentials, like food and bills. New research by @jrf-uk.bsky.social reveals that 7.4 million households have gone without at least one essential in 6 months. This is a stark reminder that the cost of living crisis is far from over.

A record number of families are going without the essentials, our research finds. That's 7.4 million households. New PM Andy Burnham has promised to put tackling the cost of living "front and centre" of his government. Bold policy choices are needed to make that happen:

🗣️ "For Andy Burnham, much will now depend on whether he has got the right ideas, and in John Healey, the right chancellor to address Britain’s growing affordability crisis." Our Director of Policy @alfie-stirling.bsky.social for @theguardian.com today 👇 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Andy Burnham promised urgent action on the cost of living – the heat is now on chancellor John Healey to deliver it | Alfie Stirling

The PM and the new boss at the Treasury face an even trickier task than their predecessors. They need a good plan, and we have one, says Alfie Sirling of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

theguardian.com

Excellent research today from @jrf-uk.bsky.social shows how PM's promise to reduce welfare spending by tackling drivers can work: - Every 100,000 extra people in work reduces UC spend by £700m/year. - Hit 80% employment rate target & reduce UC spend by £10bn/year www.jrf.org.uk/social-secur...

How to reduce pressure on welfare spend in a popular and lasting way

The new prime minister wants to reduce social security spend by tackling underlying causes of need, not with blunt cuts. This would be popular and effective.

jrf.org.uk

🗣️"We see this in our research with JRF over and over, people are very worried about their finances. It is their primary concern and what's been driving them away from mainstream parties." @profjanegreen.bsky.social on @itvnews.bsky.social earlier today (from 2hrs3mins) www.itv.com/watch/itv-ne...

Full details are in today's publication from @jrf-uk.bsky.social: www.jrf.org.uk/social-secur...

How to reduce pressure on welfare spend in a popular and lasting way

The new prime minister wants to reduce social security spend by tackling underlying causes of need, not with blunt cuts. This would be popular and effective.

jrf.org.uk

With 5 in 6 low-income households on UC going without essentials, the reform to our safety net that is needed - and demanded by the public - is to ensure everyone can at least afford life’s essentials: 10/10 www.jrf.org.uk/social-secur...

Guarantee our Essentials: reforming Universal Credit to ensure we can all afford the essentials in hard times

Losing your job, needing to care for a sick family member, breaking up with your partner – everyone’s circumstances can change. When they do, the social security system should ensure no one goes witho...

jrf.org.uk

The dominant political narrative of a spiralling welfare bill creates pressure for urgent cuts. But this is inaccurate: while spending on non-pensioner benefits has risen since pre-pandemic, it is ~5% of our economy and projected by OBR to remain flat over the next 5 years. 9/10

When we and @moreincommonuk.bsky.social asked the public what approach to reducing welfare spend Govt should take, over twice as many people preferred it to tackle underlying causes of people's need to claim benefits (59%) rather than by cutting eligibility (20%) or benefit rates (8%). 2/10

Andy Burnham described “the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down" in his 1st speech as prime minister today. New @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis shows why tackling underlying problems with jobs, health & housing, not “crude cuts”, would be a popular & lasting approach. 1/10

I'm a long-time sceptic of rent controls. But now convinced. Private rents drive hunger, hardship & homelessness. Increasing supply won't impact fast enough. And we can design rent controls carefully to manage risks. Here's the article with my thinking. www.linkedin.com/pulse/im-lon...

I'm a long-time rent control sceptic, but now I'm convinced

Unaffordable private rents are a key driver of hunger, hardship and homelessness. It’s hard to see how we end the need for emergency food without doing something to significantly change this.

linkedin.com

Helen Barnard@helenbarnard.bsky.social · 3w ago

Delighted to share @trusselluk.bsky.social's latest 'Living Costs in Context' briefing. It digs into the ways that housing drives hunger & hardship and the solutions to unaffordable rents, poor quality homes and disconnected services. Read it here: cms.trussell.org.uk/sites/defaul...

Insecurity peaks sharply in middle age, echoing the British-wide pattern. Renters, disabled adults, and those with no savings are hit hardest. Social renters with no savings: 60%+ economically insecure. Children in household also a strong predictor of insecurity

🚨New research for the Bevan Foundation on economic (in)security in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Full report, based on framework of @profjanegreen.bsky.social et al with @jrf-uk.bsky.social, here in English: tinyurl.com/2prrsdpj & Cymraeg: tinyurl.com/mwavt63a Thread below on a couple of things that stood out:

Great turn-out today at our parliamentary drop-in on rent controls! Some really productive conversations with MPs and staffers Lovely to host it with @jelliott94.bsky.social, @georgebangham.bsky.social, @bethstratford.bsky.social, @rachaelhenry.bsky.social and Grace Brown 1/2