The latest meeting of the Independent R&B Discussion Group, chaired by Malcolm Gardner, convened to discuss the recent Spending Review and its implications across government departments, local authorities, and welfare provision. The session included detailed contributions from a range of experts: Paul Howarth, Gareth Morgan, Alex Clegg, Rachael Walker, Sean O’Sullivan, Robert Fox, and Bob…
Category: Welfare Reform
Independent Revenues & Benefits Discussion Group: Council Tax Reduction Review Highlights
The latest session of the Independent Revenues & Benefits Discussion Group, held on 9 June 2025, offered an invaluable insight into the current state of Council Tax Reduction (CTR) schemes across the country. This week, we were fortunate to be joined by Karen Holmes from entitledto, who delivered an excellent and highly informative presentation on…
Tackling Child Poverty: A Policy Tipping Point?
Independent Revenues & Benefits Discussion Group – 2 June 2025 The latest session of the Independent R&B Discussion Group brought together leading professionals across the UK to reflect on the continued delays in the UK Government’s long-awaited child poverty strategy, the contentious two-child benefit cap, and the real-world impacts facing councils and communities. Hosted by…
Council Tax Support in Crisis: Local Discretion or Structural Inequity?
Summary of Independent R&B Discussion Group – 19 May 2025 The Independent Revenues and Benefits Discussion Group convened on 19 May to review recent trends in Council Tax Reduction (CTR) schemes, using a new report from Policy in Practice—authored by Izabel Bahia and Rachael Walker—as a starting point for discussion. The report charts changes in…
31/03/25 Spring Statement Sparks Concerns over Welfare Cuts and Public Service Viability
Spring Statement Sparks Concerns over Welfare Cuts and Public Service Viability The UK government’s recent Spring Statement, delivered amid warnings of economic uncertainty, has prompted serious concern among local government leaders and policy experts. As outlined during the Independent R&B Discussion Group on 31 March 2025, the policy direction—particularly in relation to welfare reform and…
Pathways to a More Empowering Welfare State: Winners, Losers, and the Cost of Inaction
The recent “Pathways to Work” green paper lays bare the escalating cost and inherent dysfunctionality of a binary welfare state—one that categorises individuals simply as either capable or incapable of work. This approach, particularly when applied to supporting those with genuine disabilities, is proving both economically unsustainable and socially regressive. As argued in Abundance by…