What's the biggest divide in Britain? The divide between north and south? Between black and white? Between the children of intact families and those of broken families? Or, as David Willetts has begun to argue, between young and old? All are testing divisions but one of the most politically potent divisions of our time is […]
Fascinating analysis of official data by Policy Exchange reveals that one-third of benefits (£53bn in total) are paid to people who are wealthier than average. £5bn of child benefit, for example, goes to households with above average incomes. The table below summarises which benefits are enjoyed most by wealthy Britons and how much it costs […]
Nick Silver has produced a report for the Institute of Economic Affairs entitled A Bankruptcy Foretold 2010: Post-Financial-Crisis Update. Silver argues that policymakers should include pension liabilities and "and a reasonable estimate of the likely liabilities to be incurred by the government in respect of the banking sector" within their calculations of the national debt. […]
Earlier today David Cameron made it clear that the Winter Fuel Allowance would be protected under a Conservative government. The Economist's Bagehot was disappointed, noting that "means-testing more benefits should indeed be part of the answer to the unanswered question about cuts." Not only would it save money for the taxpayer, Policy Exchange argue in […]
A new Policy Exchange report notes that Britain has a fast-growing health and safety industry – with 1, 500 ‘specialist health and safety firms' selling something between £700 million and £1 billion worth of services to other businesses. The report – written by Corin Taylor - warns that there’s such an enormous amount of uncertainty […]
Research from The TaxPayers' Alliance notes that strikes are now fifteen times more likely in the public than private sectors. Ten years ago private sector strikes were twice as likely. See the research note here (pdf). ConservativeHome has been highlighting the role of the public sector unions as they pour money into Labour's marginal seats […]
Later today Iain Duncan Smith will unveil a new work programme for his Centre for Social Justice. In an advance press release the former Tory leader lists some of the challenges he hopes to address. Citing research data Mr Duncan Smith highlights crime… Nearly four in five teenagers leaving custody go on to commit a […]
Within a report about caring for Britain's ageing population the Centre for Social Justice suggests that householders who build a 'granny flat' should be exempt from capital gains tax when they come to sell it. The Sunday Telegraph reports: "A family who bought a house for £200,000, built a granny flat for £50,000 and sold […]
Research by Policy Exchange suggests that men have been more hurt by the recession than women. The Telegraph reports: "The number of men in employment fell three times more than the number of women in one year, with the employment rate of women falling by 2.8% up to September 2009 and the employment rate of […]
"The end of entitlement" (PDF) Authors: Thomas Cawston, Andrew Haldenby and Patrick Nolan Publication date: October 2009 One of the principal themes of this report is that in an age of financial hardship resulting in increasing pressure on the welfare state, middle class welfare is unsustainable. According to the authors middle class welfare amounts to […]
"Ten Economic Priorities – An agenda for an incoming government" (PDF) Author: Nigel Hawkins Publication date: September 2009 This report details ten key economic policies which, in the view of the author, the next government should adopt in order to address the dire state of the UK's public finances. These policies include cutting taxes, implementing cuts […]
"Dynamic Benefits: Towards Welfare That Works, Part I" (PDF) "Dynamic Benefits: Towards Welfare That Works, Parts II and III"(PDF) "Dynamic Benefits: Towards Welfare That Works, Appendices"(PDF) "Dynamic Benefits: Towards Welfare That Works, Executive Summary" (PDF) "Dynamic Benefits: Towards Welfare That Works, Preface by the Rt. Hon. Iain Duncan Smith MP"(PDF) Authors: Centre for Social Justice […]
"Science Fiction? Uncovering the real level of science skills at school and university"(PDF) Author: Anna Fazackerley and Tom Richmond Publication date: 28 September 2009 This report highlights the failure of the Labour Government to improve standards in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and the negative impact it is having for employers in the UK. […]
"Don't let this crisis go to waste – A simple and affordable way of increasing retirement income" (PDF) Author: Michael Johnson Publication date: 21 September 2009 This report details some new proposals in order to create a fairer state pension system. The author acknowledges that the expectation of a comfortable and lengthy retirement funded by the […]
"Educating Rita – a model to address inadequate state support for part-time students" (PDF) Authors: Anna Fazackerley, Professor Claire Callendar, Julian Chant and David Wilkinson Publication date: 18 August 2009 The report calls for a better financial settlement for the third of undergraduates who are part-time students. The authors are critical of the fact that part-time students […]