The report was published of a project in Wales that sought to minimize the impact of the 'bedroom tax' on tenants and reduce the rate of tenancy failure, or alternatively to develop innovative approaches to assist tenants affected by the tax. It said that the Welsh Government should undertake a thematic review of the impact of the bedroom tax and the introduction of universal credit on the financial viability and business plans of all social landlords in Wales.
Source: Simon Inkson Ltd, The Bedroom Tax Project – Final Report, Welsh Local Government Association
Links: Report | WLGA press release
Notes: Under United Kingdom benefit changes, housing association and council tenants of working age will have their housing benefits cut from April 2013 if they are deemed to have spare bedrooms.
Date: 2012-Nov
A report examined the links between visual impairment and poverty in Wales. There were estimated to be at least 100,000 people in Wales with a visual impairment, of whom about one-third lived in poverty.
Source: Michael Donnelly and Victoria Winckler, Out of Sight: Visual impairment and poverty in Wales, RNIB Cymru
Links: Report | RNIB press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Nov
The children's rights watchdog in Wales published its first child poverty strategy. The strategy outlined a child-centred approach to tackling poverty. Although the watchdog praised the work of schools and community projects supported by the Communities First programme, it raised concerns over the Welsh Government's decision to incorporate action on tackling child poverty into an overarching plan covering children and adults.
Source: Child Poverty Strategy: 2012 Onwards, Children's Commissioner for Wales
Links: Report | CCW press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Oct
An article compared two government-led 'flagship' area-based initiatives targeting deprived neighbourhoods – the New Deal for Communities (launched in England in 1998) and the Communities First programme (launched in Wales in 2001). In England, a shift in the national paradigm from 'big state' interventions towards the 'Big Society' agenda had heralded the decline of the area-based approach. In Wales, the approach remained but had recently been re-launched. The shift in the emphasis of both initiatives from holistic, place-bound strategies to broader, service-influencing efforts pointed to the up-scaling of neighbourhood governance, despite the renewed policy emphasis on localism.
Source: Madeleine Pill, 'Neighbourhood initiatives in Wales and England: shifting purposes and changing scales', People, Place & Policy, Volume 6 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the United Kingdom-wide literature on barriers to work for disabled people. Four main barriers to work among incapacity benefits claimants could be identified: employment practices, employability, health, and policy failure. Qualitative research data from four of the Pathways to Work areas was used to show how these themes applied in Wales. The author indicated ways in which the Welsh Government could provide support in order to reduce the impact of the barriers concerned.
Source: Aimee Grant, 'Barriers to work for incapacity benefit claimants in Wales', Contemporary Wales, Volume 25 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A think-tank report examined the likely impact on Wales of the coalition government's proposal to devolve responsibility for council tax support from 2013-14, and to cut funding for it by 10 per cent. It considered the options available to the Welsh Government. Any cuts to council tax support were bound to hit lower-income households. More aggressive means-testing could protect those in the greatest poverty, but with the result that some people would be worse off after a pay rise. Reforms that saved the full 10 per cent typically involved reducing support for those entitled to maximum support – those with the lowest incomes.
Source: Stuart Adam and James Browne, Reforming Council Tax Benefit: Options for Wales, Briefing Note 129, Institute for Fiscal Studies
Links: Briefing Note | IFS press release | Welsh Government press release | Plaid Cymru press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2012-Jun
The Welsh Government published an action plan for preventing poverty, helping people out of poverty, and mitigating the impact of poverty. It said that it did not accept that a general increase in the wealth of society would inevitably 'trickle down' to individuals and communities in poverty. There were multiple barriers that prevented people from fulfilling their potential, and the government needed to tackle these across the whole range of its portfolios.
Source: Tackling Poverty: Action Plan 2012-2016, Welsh Government
Links: Plan | Welsh Government press release | Bevan Foundation press release | WCVA press release
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined the relationship between a Welsh-medium secondary school and a low-income, 'Communities First' neighbourhood in south Wales. The disconnexion between the projects of language revitalization and neighbourhood regeneration could be seen as a local manifestation of a more general split between a 'politics of recognition' and a 'politics of redistribution'.
Source: Stuart Tannock, 'Across a thick white line: the relationship of a Welsh medium school and a low income neighbourhood in the south Wales valleys', Critical Social Policy, Volume 32 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A report examined the relationship between the distribution of families with disabled children in Wales and child poverty. It found a complex picture, with the highest density of families with disabled children living in the most deprived areas: but with large numbers living across Wales in the least deprived areas.
Source: Keith Bowen and Clare Kassa, Reaching Families in Wales: Mapping families with disabled children, Family Fund/Contact a Family Wales
Links: Report
Date: 2012-May
The Welsh Government expressed concern that Wales would be hit disproportionately compared with the rest of the United Kingdom by the welfare reforms being proposed by the coalition government.
Source: Analysing the Impact of the UK Government's Welfare Reforms in Wales: Stage 1 Analysis, Welsh Government
Links: Report | Welsh Government press release
Date: 2012-May
A think-tank report examined the position in Wales once the Welfare Reform Act transferred responsibility for crisis loans, and the related community care grants, to the Welsh Government. It said that the Welsh Government had a chance to make the new arrangements work much better for the increasing numbers of people who might face crisis situations.
Source: Michael Donnelly (with Victoria Winckler), Crisis Loans: Experiences of People in Need, Bevan Foundation
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Apr
The Welsh Government published a policy statement on poverty. It warned that the benefit system reforms proposed by the United Kingdom coalition government were on a scale and at a time that would inevitably lead to more families and individuals falling into poverty.
Source: Tackling Poverty, Welsh Government
Links: Statement
Date: 2012-Mar
The consumer rights watchdog in Wales said that there were clear benefits for customers in PO 'Locals' – including longer hours, convenience, and friendly service. In particular, convenience was important to those customers who lived in isolated areas with little or no alternative services nearby, and elderly customers who spoke of mobility issues and a lack of transportation. But consumers also had concerns about privacy, the range of services and products, and knowing what their local service offered.
Source: Staying Local: The impact of changes to the post office network for Welsh consumers, Consumer Focus Wales
Links: Report | Consumer Focus press release
Notes: PO Locals provide 'core' post office services only, operating from existing retail premises and replacing dedicated sub-post offices.
Date: 2012-Feb
A report said that more than 1 in 4 people in Wales would be affected by the coalition government's proposed reforms to welfare benefits. Vulnerable groups such as children and disabled people faced uncertainty about their income and the possibility of substantial cuts.
Source: Michael Donnelly (with Victoria Winckler and Stephen Doughty), Wales on the Edge: An overview of the current and predicted impact of welfare reforms on people and communities across Wales, Cuts Watch Cymru
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2012-Feb
