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Chris Belfield @chrisbelfield.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Andy Burnham is right that people need "breathing space" Household incomes are expected to be £740 (1.7%) lower in 2029/30 than they were at the beginning of the parliament And the lowest income households are set to face the biggest falls (3.4%) But it doesn't have to be this way

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Conflict in the Middle East will worsen an already weak outlook for living standards But Government action on energy, housing, and the income safety net, funded by economically efficient tax reforms, can ensure most families are better off over both this parliament and compared to 2019

Graph showing falls in living standards for most families without policy action. Energy, housing, and social security policy can return incomes to growth for the majority

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Social security is carrying too much of the cost of economic failure elsewhere A policy reset is clearly needed In a new @jrf-uk.bsky.social paper, we argue that addressing the drivers of economic insecurity can sustainably ease pressure on the income safety net and improve living standards

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Joseph Elliott @jelliott94.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

New from JRF: we need Rent Controls (and Tax Reform). Landlords have been cashing in on rents and house price growth, making excessive returns, while tenants are paying exorbitant rents which drive economic insecurity, poverty and homelessness. New policy and research from us⬇️

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New Economics Foundation @neweconomics.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

NEW: The government wants to boost employment among people who receive universal credit - but our analysis suggests a lack of good-quality jobs is making this near impossible. And, in some local authorities, there’s as few as 5 vacancies for every 100 people on universal credit…

There are less than 5 job vacancies in rotherham for every 100 people claiming universal credit

In Pendle and Hartlepool there are around 5 job vacancies for every 100 people claiming universal credit

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Joseph Rowntree Foundation @jrf-uk.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Poverty is deepening. 🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning. People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people. This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

New DWP forecasts show that spending on working-age social security is expected to be stable over the rest of the parliament at 5.1% of GDP This is a slight increase from the Spring, but is mainly for welcome reasons like removing the two-child limit and reversing some of the cuts put forward then

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

The latest Personal Independence Payment data shows a further slowing of applications, with average claims down 7% in the year to October The largest reduction in new claims has been from people over 45 The OBR has said it expects monthly applications to fall to around 60,000 during the parliament

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

A helpful explainer here from Louise on the impact of system change on the UC health caseload It's also worth noting that up to 2023, 30% of the rise in the caseload was because of expected policy and demographic changes

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Scrapping the two-child limit will significantly reduce child poverty over the parliament and improve the living standards outlook for low-income families But more is needed to improve incomes, through higher earnings, lower housing costs, and a stronger social security system

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Brilliant to see that the two-child limit will be scrapped, lifting 450,000 children out of poverty in 2029/30

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Joseph Rowntree Foundation @jrf-uk.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

📊 Latest figures out from the ONS this morning showed that inflation slowed to 3.6%. But food inflation rose to 4.9%, up from 4.5% in the previous month. The outlook for around 7 million households going without essentials in the UK remains extremely stark. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

UK inflation rate falls to 3.6% in year to October

Prices have been rising more slowly in the twelve months to October.

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Good to see DWP accepting much of the Work and Pensions Committee's recommendations for improving jobcentres Moving from a one-size fits all to a tailored approach will improve the relationship people have with their work coach, help them find better jobs, and improve their economic security

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Abby Jitendra @abbyabhaya.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Truly fascinating stuff here! Kitchen table concerns vs things your newsfeed tells you to worry about…

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Tom Clark @tom-clark.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

It really is worth taking the time to hear from people like “Mary,” who fled from Zimbabwe 20 years ago, to understand what life is like when the law denies you the chance to call the country where you’ve made your life home

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Abby Jitendra @abbyabhaya.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Practical and progressive action here from the govt. Healthy workers benefit their companies and society overall. Right that employers are part of making that happen.

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

In new @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis with @katieschmuecker.bsky.social we show how cost-effective improvements to social security can quickly improve the living standards outlook for families Scrapping the two-child limit and creating an income floor in Universal Credit would make a real difference

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

Analysis from @jrf-uk.bsky.social this week suggests this could be the worst parliament for living standards since detailed records began This doesn't have to be the case, but clearly more needs to be done to boost household incomes and ensure every family can afford the essentials

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Peter Matejic @statspeter.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Delighted to give evidence to Work and Pensions Committee on pensioner poverty. Report says "retirement should be dignified and not a struggle at the poverty line." @jrf-uk.bsky.social and @crsp-uk.bsky.social's Minimum Income Standard measures this. What do the stats show? It's not good news (1/4).

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Over 1.6m children are now impacted by the Two-Child Limit - 11.6% of all children This is a cruel policy that unnecessarily drags children into deeper levels of hardship It needs to go, and the longer it is kept, the greater the scarring effects on children's health and education will be

A graph showing the increase in the number of children impacted by the Two-Child Limit since April 2018

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Katie Schmuecker @katieschmuecker.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

The Govt has not published an employment impact assessment for their disability benefit cuts & increased employment support 📣New @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis shows where you live matters, with competition for jobs higher in some areas with higher claims: former industrial & coastal areas 1/5

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Joseph Rowntree Foundation @jrf-uk.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Ahead of a crucial vote on cuts to disability benefits, our new evidence casts doubt on whether jobs are even available for disabled people facing cuts 📢 The analysis found that the parts of the country among the hardest hit by the cuts have fewer job opportunities 1/3

"Cutting disabled people's benefits won't magically create suitable jobs, particularly in those parts of the country that have long had weaker jobs markets. It's little wonder so many disable people are fearful of the impact of the government's cuts" - Abby Jitendra, Principal Policy Adviser

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Much of the Government's intention for cutting PIP and UC is to motivate people to find a job But cutting social security can't 'incentivise' people into jobs that don't exist New @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis shows there are simply too few jobs for the Government's argument to hold

A graph showing that local authorities with weaker local economies have more people on UC that are searching for work or unable to work due to a health condition for each vacancy in that area

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Abby Jitendra @abbyabhaya.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

What the child poverty strategy is is much more important than when it is. 1 million children are in destitution and pulling them out of poverty requires serious action on social security. Hope govt can see that. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

theguardian.com

No 10 delays child poverty strategy with tens of thousands more facing hardship

Exclusive: Flagship policy put back until at least autumn amid fears cost of removing two-child benefit cap will outweigh political benefit

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Katie Schmuecker @katieschmuecker.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Where will the cuts to sickness & disability benefits hit hardest? New @jrf-uk.bsky.social constituency analysis shows the % of working age people receiving these benefits in England & Wales. Some MP inboxes are likely to be brimming, as concern about these plans is widespread

Map showing proportion of working age population in receipt of health related social security, coloured by quintile of constituency. In some coastal areas, south Wales, the North West and Yorkshire and North East, rates are between 15-20%

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Joe Farnworth @joemfm.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

This was raised in the Commons today. Heartening to see MPs across the House - many drawing on their lived experience - highlight deep concern over changes to PIP eligibility leading to loss of Carer's Allowance. parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

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Alfie Stirling @alfie-stirling.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

NEW from @jrf-uk.bsky.social. Much was made of the pressures from a “changing world” on public finances. Those pressures are also impacting families, and government choices are making it worse. We find the avg. family will now be £750/yr worse off by 2029, vs today. Thread. #SpringStatement

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Maudie Johnson-Hunter @maudiejh.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

OBR's measure of living standards, RHDI, is up by £500 - largely due to stronger wage growth, including planning reforms which boost incomes. BUT when you dig into it, 3/4 of the extra income from housing services is 'imputed rents' (what families would receive if they rented out their home). 1/3

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Katie Schmuecker @katieschmuecker.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Some families with a disabled adult stand to lose over £12,000 per year by 2029/30 as a result of the Government's disability benefit cuts. Hardship being deepened by rebuilding the nations finances on the backs of disabled people And polling suggests the public know it.

Chart showing losses for a family where one person cares for another - monthly after housing costs income would be £1,036 per month less than the equivalent family now. That is 55% of their after housing costs income. In 2029/30 they would gain £12 from the higher basic rate of Universal Credit, but lose £472 from LCWRA change, lose £225 from the carers element change and lose £357 from PIP change.

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Later today we'll have a better understanding of the magnitude of cuts to social security But we already know the rough impacts for individual households Like someone making a new claim that doesn't get PIP daily living or LCWRA and so could lose almost 60% of their AHC income

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

The cuts outlined last week were already going to cause significant hardship for disabled people Someone losing out on health related UC and most of PIP could see their monthly income fall by over £800 Now further rash cuts are on the way. In no way is this a sensible approach to policy-making

A single person over 25 losing PIP and LCWRA could lose £818 per month – 58% of their AHC income

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Maudie Johnson-Hunter @maudiejh.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Living standards are forecast to have already peaked this parliament, with Keir Starmer on track to preside over the worst parliament in modern history for living standards. New JRF analysis on living standards ahead of the Spring Statement ⬇️ 1/🧵

Line graph showing real disposable incomes for the average family feel during the cost of living crisis, before some recovery to 2025. From then, incomes are forecast to fall across the rest of the decade.

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Iain Porter @iainkporter.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Big picture today is Government chose to cut unprecedented £5bn of income from disabled people at highest risk of hardship. This drive for cost savings undermines any positive changes contained in the disability benefits green paper. Here are some other big problems:🧵1/11

JRF Chief Executive Paul Kissack said:

"No truly moral choice would leave disabled people without the very support that is designed to allow them to lead a dignified life, nor would it leave them facing hardship. These would be unprecedented disability benefits cuts.

“Ideas like the Right to Try Guarantee help to remove the barriers that prevent people from working but enormous cuts mean the Government risks undermining these positives. Making it harder for people to qualify for support, or cutting their support, puts more pressure on people who are already struggling to cope.

"Ministers should boost the basic rate of Universal Credit without taking the extra support from the pockets of disabled people receiving UC health. It should be funded by those with the broadest shoulders.

"A government that came to office pledging to end the moral scar of food bank use clearly should not be taking steps that could leave disabled people at greater risk of needing to use one."

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Sarah O'Connor @sarahoconnorft.ft.com · 18/03/2025

Not sure about this from the IFS. In the real world, I'm not convinced that changing an incredibly miserly income of £4,732 per year to a still-miserly £5,096 per year is going to persuade people, who would otherwise have got a job, that they're now so financially comfortable, they're not going to.

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Iain Porter @iainkporter.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Yesterday, a Government press release claimed the number of people “considered too sick to work” had "quadrupled" since the pandemic (a "383% rise"). This is incorrect. In fact, it’s not even close. It's more like 40%. This thread explains why 🧵1/7

Image of Government press release stating a "383% rise in less than five years" in the number of people considered too sick to look for work.

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Louise Murphy @louisemurphy.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

This DWP press release is poor. Yes, the number of people receiving incapacity benefits has increased since the pandemic...But just focusing on the UC LCWRA group over time is deliberately misleading: we'd expect the UC caseload to rise as people move from old benefits. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Chart showing: Number of families claiming a health-related benefit: GB

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

It's frustrating so see this idea reemerge, and for it go unchallenged on R4 Today while cuts to the most vulnerable are being discussed First of all, historical analysis by @jrf-uk.bsky.social has found that it is very rare for two generations in the same family to have never worked

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

It's difficult to engage in good faith in a discussion about 'compromise' proposals that dignify the phoney premise that we simply can't afford to scrap the two-child limit & benefit cap. £3.5bn would be incredible value for the poverty alleviation (& knock-on economic benefits) it would achieve

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Joseph Rowntree Foundation @jrf-uk.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

More people than ever are falling below an adequate standard of living. The latest Households Below Minimum Income Standard (MIS) report by CRSP at @lborouniversity.bsky.social reveals a stark reality 🔽 1/4

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Great to be in Manchester today to discuss @neweconomics.bsky.social work on the need to rethink how conditionality is used in the benefits system, & the implications for devolved employment support, with @andyburnham.bsky.social & lots of local organisations involved in helping GM residents

Photo of Andy Burnham speaking at an event in the Friends Meeting House in Manchester

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

In her speech the CX mentioned the rising cost of social security for people with health conditions and disabilities With further cuts expected to the support people receive, it's worth highlighting that 30% (243k) of the rise in the health caseload is due to expected policy and demographic changes

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Joseph Rowntree Foundation @jrf-uk.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

4.3 million children are in poverty UK govt won’t see progress on child poverty by 2029 even with high economic growth 📢 Our analysis shows under our central scenario only Scotland will see child poverty rates fall by 2029 in part due to social security policies 1/5

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

New year, new job! After an amazing three years at @neweconomics.bsky.social, I'm incredibly excited to be joining @jrf-uk.bsky.social as a lead analyst As before, I'll be sharing thoughts on social security, tax, and other policy areas that work towards eradicating poverty and reducing inequality

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Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Brilliant to see that the two-child limit will be abolished in Scotland from 2026, benefitting 27,000 families and almost 100,000 children. But more than 1.5m children will continue to be impacted until the policy is scrapped across the rest of the UK

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Hollie Wright @hollies.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Chuffed that our Reforming Right to Buy paper has been selected as a 'Must Read' by @thinkhouseinfo.bsky.social alongside some truly excellent housing reports from this year - including Shelter's wonderful Brick by Brick! Check out our work here: neweconomics.org/2024/05/refo...

neweconomics.org

Reforming right to buy

Options for preserving and delivering new council homes for the twenty-first century

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Andrew Harrop @andrewharrop.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Child poverty using the BAR measure is now well above the early-2000s peak, while the line is broadly flat for the traditional ‘after housing costs’ measure. DWP analysis has shown the new BAR measure is more aligned to material deprivation than the old HBAI numbers 2/2

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