Current welfare environment

It is not possible in course materials written in advance to provide an up to date accurate account of welfare policy. The policy field and public and political debates are so fast moving that students are primarily directed to keeping abreast of developments through closely following the media coverage of these issues, ensuring in the process critical reflection of the arguments presented. Students should employ the framework of the themes already covered in this section, and elsewhere in the module, when considering the issues and arguments, for example are measures universal in nature, redistributive, pre-distributive, conditional? Do they appear to be based on value judgements? What social problem do they aim to address? Do they appear to be aimed at changing or influeincing behaviour?

 

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Central issues likely to be current during the running of the module include:

 

  • Impact of referendum result and decision for the UK to leave the European Union
  • Introduction of the new National Living Wage, is this really a ‘living wage’, how is it different to Minimum Wage (or is it different?)
  • Introduction of compulsory workplace pensions and the new state pension, and rise in statutory pension age
  • ‘Welfare to work’ policies, including reduction in payments of Employment Support Allowance for those in the ‘work related activity’ category, increasing conditionality related to out of work benefits, and increasing use of sanctions
  • Debates around perceived crises in NHS provision, including mental health, and in social care, and burden of paying for these services, for example ‘ring fenced’ increases in Council Tax
  • Intergenerational debates-are the younger section of the population being disadvantaged by the older? Are resources fairly distributed? Concerns of young people about future housing, employment (often linked to concerns about leaveing the EU)
  • The continued introduction of ‘Universal Credit’, which at the time of writing is still undergoing phased roll-outs in certain parts of the country (including the implications for the more vulnerable of being required to administer benefits online)
  • Increasing use of food banks, increasing numbers of cases of malnutrition, widening entitlement to free school meals, increase in families (including parents) needing to access food support from school breakfast clubs etc.
  • Fuel poverty and hardship caused by high fuel prices
  • Developments in the administration of ‘bedroom tax’, benefits cap etc.
  • Changes to criteria for Personal Independence Payments for disabled people
  • Changes related to income tax, interest rates and savings vehicles.
  • Changes to housing policies that interact with welfare, poverty and incomes

 

This is of course not an exhaustive list and new welfare or poverty related issues are very likely to arise in 2017.Some of these may be related to the upcoming referendum on EU membership and discussions on the future of the Human Rights Act may also include relevant debates. Students should follow the ‘Hot off the press’ forum on the discussion board for this module, where the tutor will post current items and topics as they arise. Students are also strongly encouraged to post their own items in this forum for the benefit of other students and to stimulate debate.

 

Always remember  to maintain a critical, objective, rigorous way of considering what you read, see or listen to; do not blindly accept arguments, no matter from what source they come from.