Information Bulletin

Summary of News and Publications from the Week ending 12 April 2013

Poverty
The full effect of the current welfare reforms will hit the North West of England the hardest, with cuts of more than 900 a year for every adult of working age, compared to an average loss across the country of 470. Two-thirds of the 50 local authority districts worst affected by the reforms are older industrial areas. Hitting the Poorest Places Hardest is a new report from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University. The Scottish Parliament has published its second report into the impact of welfare reform on Scotland. In Scotland, the cuts total represent 480 a year for every adult of working age, broadly similar to the average across Britain. Overall, the welfare reforms hit Scotland less than northern England or Wales, but more than much of southern England. Analysis by Northern TUC suggests that in the North east, full-time workers are now on average of 1196 worse off per year in real terms than if wages had risen in line with RPI inflation under the Coalition. The UK has been ranked 16th out of 29 developed countries in a UNICEF league table of child well-being. The UK was ranked 24th on NEET rate alone, for young people 15 to 19 who are not in education, employment or training. A new report looks at how child poverty in Europe affects children and their families, challenges myths about child poverty, and picks out effective policy solutions. Towards Childrens Wellbeing in Europe is published by Eurochild and the European Anti-Poverty Network. (May be slow to download). The number of households in debt to their energy supplier has grown by 6% compared to the same time last year, says a YouGov poll for uSwitch. 41% of those in debt now owe more than a year ago. Nearly one in three recent graduates are employed in a lower skilled job, according to The Modern Jobs Economy: trends in employment for study leavers, a new report by the New Economics Foundation for the National Union of Students. Permanent job opportunities grew in March, but the growth of job vacancies reached a seven month low, according to the latest monthly Report on Jobs from KPMG and Recruitment and Employment Confederation. Personal Independent Payments (PIP) are replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for new claimants, starting in four areas of northern England from this week. Some existing DLA claimants will begin to move over to PIP from October. The funding intended for providing childcare for disadvantaged two year olds is being earmarked to pay for other things in almost half of local authorities, according to data from a Freedom of Information request.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has projected that the number of households in England will grow by 20% to 24.3 million by 2021 compared to 2011. Two thirds of the forecast increase will be households without any dependent children. Changes in population account for most of the household formation to 2021.

Place
24 Housings Top 50 most influential people in housing, places Julia Unwin as a new entry at number 23 and Lord Best (former JRF Chief Executive) at number 9. David Orr of the National Housing Federation (NHF) takes first place. In a new survey from Shelter, 35% of respondents said they would not be able to pay their rent or mortgage for more than a month if they lost their job, rising to 43% for families with children. Analysts suggest that the prolonged cold weather in March will add 200 to the average household energy bill. The Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) has published a discussion paper on proposals to better protect social housing assets. They will require some social housing landlords to draw up recovery plans which will come into force in the event of failure. The law commission has published a report which recommends changes to the way rented housing in Wales is governed. One recommendation is the replacement of the many existing tenancy types with two forms of contract: a secure contract for social housing and a standard contract for the private sector. Article on the eco homes planned for Bicester, which are designed to cope with extreme weather conditions including heatwaves.

An Ageing Society
A survey of 250,000 people with dementia who live on their own, found 62% felt lonely and 63% felt anxious or depressed. Read the new Alzheimers Society report Dementia 2013: The hidden voice of loneliness. 17% of people aged 80 or over reported being lonely often compared to an average of 9% of all age groups over the age of 52, according to a new article from the Office for National Statistics. Measuring National Wellbeing - older people and loneliness used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). A new report by the Citizens Council for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), looks at the factors NICE should bear in mind when developing guidance for social care. The report is available on the website for public comment until 19 April. The proportion of care home residents who qualify for free residential care but are now paying top-up fees, has risen to one in four. Due to the underfunding of local authority care, many residents are not offered any suitable accommodation that fits into a local authority's baseline fee rate, with many turning to family and friends to find the funds to pay the resulting top-up fees. A new fund, Arts and Older People in Care, has been launched by the Arts Council and the Baring Foundation. This is intended to fund programmes of arts experiences for older people, either as the audience or as participants, with applications invited from care providers or arts organisations.

23% of adults have lost track of at least one pension, according to a new survey from Age UK. A quarter of 25-34 year olds have worked for 5 or 6 different employers already, matching the average number of employers for people aged 65 and over. 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.