The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights recently undertook a 12-day tour of some of the poorest areas of the UK as part of an investigation into poverty in Britain. Professor Philip Alston is one of the legal global experts in the field of economic and social …
Poverty and Inequality
2 Minute Briefing: Will money fix Universal Credit?
Is the Budget enough to save Universal Credit? The budget delivered two tranches of extra money for Universal Credit (UC) - £1.7bn to improve Work Allowances and £1bn to help people moving onto UC from the old system. While the numbers are large they are not sufficient to reverse even the 2015 …
The things you need to know about Universal Credit
Universal Credit: the bad, the worse and the ugly Universal Credit has been failing badly. Over the past few weeks, press and politicians have begun to notice that the next stages of Universal Credit (UC) could bring real disaster – and that something needs to be done and quickly. By the end of …
Church Action for Tax Justice
Church Action for Tax Justice was launched in the House of Lords on 17 April with the help of Rev Dr Rowan Williams and Methodist Church President Revd Michaela Youngson. It resources churches to include tax justice as a theme in their life and worship. Recently Archbishop Justin Welby …
Why fair trade is in difficulty, and what we need to do
A personal response by Ruth Murray Traidcraft, the pioneering Fairtrade brand that brought us ‘campaign coffee’ and went on to develop huge range of Fairtrade products, has announced that it proposes to cease trading at the end of the year unless a solution can be found. Along with many others …
Rising homelessness in the UK: Complex or embarrassing?
Homelessness in all its forms is rising in the UK. Around 5,000 people sleep rough in England and Wales each night, more than double the number of 8 years ago. These are just a fraction of those who are homeless; 80,000 families including 120,000 children are in temporary council accommodation, …
Updated Universal Credit Briefing
Universal Credit: increasing hunger by design Read the briefing in full. Summary Last updated April 2019 As Churches we are concerned that the design of Universal Credit does not sufficiently take into account the lives, skills and resources of the least well off, and as a result will lead …
When will the Government recognise that Universal Credit is in trouble?
This week’s NAO report provided the details of what everyone knows – Universal Credit is failing and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) doesn’t listen to people who disagree with them. The real question was how the DWP would respond. Would they acknowledge problems, and work with others in …
“A benefit system which drives families into debt and leaves people hungry is a failing benefit system” say Churches
Speaking on behalf of the Baptist Union, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, Paul Morrison commented on the release of the National Audit Office (NAO) report, Rolling out Universal Credit, saying, “Churches have repeatedly expressed concerns about Universal …
Universal Credit: From bad to farce
If Universal Credit (UC) was a horse, it would be shot - repeatedly. The DWP has just released a flurry of reports which paint a picture of a deeply troubled system. Despite their best efforts at a positive spin there is no hiding the problems. I am sure I will go into detail in other pieces but …