The latest session of the Independent R&B Discussion Group was held on June 17, 2024. This session was a comprehensive discussion that covered the various political manifestos and their implications on welfare, homelessness, council tax, business rates, child poverty, and local government priorities.
Welfare Policies
- Conservatives: The Conservative manifesto highlights a reform of disability benefits, changes to work capability assessments, overhaul of the fit note process, tougher sanctions for benefit claimants, and acceleration of Universal Credit rollout. Anti-fraud measures will also be strengthened.
- Labour: Labour aims to reform the welfare system to help people get back to work and ensure economic security, though specific details were not provided.
- Liberal Democrats: They promise to stop people from being very poor within the next decade, change unfair benefit rules, and replace the sanctions regime with an incentive scheme.
- Green Party: The Greens propose increasing Universal Credit and legacy benefits by £40 per week, abolishing the two-child benefit cap, and implementing a universal basic income in the long term.
- Reform UK: They focus on raising the income tax start point to £20,000, integrating mental health services with job-seeking pathways, stopping benefit fraud, and reintroducing face-to-face assessments.
Homelessness
- Conservatives: The Conservative manifesto does not specifically address homelessness.
- Labour: Labour plans to reform planning laws to build 1.5 million new homes to alleviate housing shortages and address homelessness by providing more affordable options.
- Liberal Democrats: They aim to build 380,000 homes per year, including 150,000 social homes, and promise to stop people from sleeping on the streets.
- Green Party: The Greens pledge new social homes, a purchase community right to buy, and the end of individual right to buy.
- Reform UK: No specific promises directly targeting homelessness were found in their sections.
- Plaid Cymru: They support establishing a central guarantee level to all individuals and stopping benefit sanctions.
Council Tax
- Conservatives: The manifesto promises to protect residents from excessive council tax rises, ensuring local people have the final say on such increases.
- Labour: No specific council tax policies were mentioned in Labour’s manifesto.
- Liberal Democrats: They propose increasing the levy on second homes.
- Green Party and Reform UK: Neither had specific promises on council tax.
- Plaid Cymru: They focus on addressing long-term empty properties and second homes.
Business Rates
- Conservatives: They propose a £4.3 billion support package over the next five years, small business support, easier hiring of apprentices, and raising VAT registration thresholds.
- Labour: They support local businesses by strengthening the power of local communities to regenerate town centers.
- Liberal Democrats: They aim to help businesses grow and manage the country’s money more carefully.
- Green Party: They offer support to SMEs, establish regional mutual banks, grants for decarbonization, and encourage community ownership.
- Reform UK: They plan to abolish business rates for high street-based SMEs and replace it with an online delivery tax on large multinational enterprises.
Child Poverty
- Conservatives: Propose a household-based assessment for child benefit, free childcare expansion, and family hubs.
- Labour: Aim to tackle child poverty by ensuring economic stability and growth, though details are sparse.
- Liberal Democrats: Plan to give free school meals to all poor children and spend more on education for young children.
- Green Party: Propose increasing Universal Credit, abolishing the two-child limit, providing free school meals, and offering free breakfast clubs.
- Reform UK: They support marriage through the tax system, front-load child benefits, review the online safety bill, and promote child-friendly smartphones.
Local Government Priorities
- Conservatives: They promise fairer funding for coastal and rural areas, investments in infrastructure and transport, and empowerment through devolution by 2030.
- Labour: Focus on fiscal rules, halving government consultancy spending, introducing a COVID corruption commissioner, and community empowerment.
- Liberal Democrats: Emphasize increased local power and decision-making, a fairer voting system, and fiscal responsibility.
- Green Party: Advocate for investment in decarbonization, public transport, infrastructure improvements, and additional funding for local authorities.
- Reform UK: They call for scrapping unnecessary government quangos and commissions, ensuring local authority funding, and supporting community banking.
Conclusion
The session provided a detailed analysis of various political manifestos, highlighting the potential impacts on welfare, homelessness, council tax, business rates, child poverty, and local government priorities. The discussion underscored the varying approaches of different political parties and the implications for local authorities and communities. The recording can be accessed from https://bit.ly/VN240617.
Files and Reports to be downloaded
Please note that the handout contains additional slides covering other items of interest in the news and job adverts, which are provided in partnership with Business Smart (https://www.businesssmartsolutions.co.uk/).