Poverty & living standards
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Ending child poverty: why a Welsh child payment is vital but not enough alone
Wales’s record on child poverty is dismal. Despite sixteen years of Welsh Ministers having a legal obligation to try to eradicate child poverty, three statutory child poverty strategies (2011, 2015 and 2024), regular progress reports and no end of champions,… Continue reading
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Better ways to spend £1 billion on solving poverty
A few years ago, Audit Wales published a report on how local authorities were attempting to reduce child poverty. Audit Wales’s headline conclusion was that: the scale of the challenge and weaknesses in current work make it difficult for Welsh… Continue reading
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Cynnal: pitfalls and priorities for the new Welsh child payment
The new Welsh Government has pledged to introduce a payment to families with children to help to reduce child poverty. This is an important milestone in the fight against child poverty in Wales. While it is by no means the… Continue reading
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Promises, promises: what manifestos say about poverty in Wales
With just days until the Senedd elections, as promised here’s a quick run down of what the main political parties have to offer on poverty in Wales. I’ve assessed each of the parties’ pledges to address the root causes of… Continue reading
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Poverty in Wales: the new stats are a wake-up call
The latest figures on poverty came out on 26 March to a fairly muted reaction. Yes, there are even bigger problems with the stats than usual; yes, relative income poverty is crude measure; and yes, in some ways there is… Continue reading
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Baby bundles: good idea, shame about the delivery
The first baby bundles have been given to new parents – but why has it taken six years? In the last few days, the first “baby bundles” have been delivered to new parents in Wales. The bundles include essential clothing,… Continue reading
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Will ending the two-child limit end child poverty?
Ending the two child limit will bring a big reduction in child poverty in Wales – but won’t end it. There is more to be done before Wales is free of poverty. The Chancellor’s announcement that the limit on the… Continue reading
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Five things you need to know about pensions in Wales
With the budget likely to stir debate about pensions, here are five things you need to know about Wales Perhaps I’m noticing it more now I am a pensioner myself, but there’s been a lot of debate about pensions ahead… Continue reading
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Why it’s time to end the two-child limit
The two-child limit affects 73,000 children in Wales. It’s wrong and should be scrapped. There are rumours that next week’s budget and long-awaited child poverty strategy will see the two-child limit scrapped. We will have to wait and see if… Continue reading
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Living standards: no wonder people are angry
Reflections on standards of living in Wales today The Bevan Foundation has published the results of its ninth living standards survey. Having overseen the previous eight surveys, this time I have had a bit more time to reflect on the… Continue reading
