Title: Over the next several periods we will
1Over the next several periods we will
- Identify how poverty is tackled in the UK
- Identify what central government, the Scottish
government, councils, voluntary groups and
private companies do to tackle poverty in the UK - Understand the arguments over whether these
organisations do too much or too little to tackle
poverty
2Success Criteria
- I will be able to identify the different aspects
of the benefits system in Britain today - I will be able to identify what different
organisations are doing to tackle poverty - I will be able to reach a judgement as to whether
or not the benefits system is too harsh or too
generous
3Tackling PovertyCentral Government
- Lesson Starter
- In what ways does the government help to tackle
poverty? Write as many ways as you can think of.
4Tackling PovertyCentral Government
- The Department for Welfare and Pensions is the
biggest spending department in the UK Government
- spending 166.98bn in 2011-12, which is Of that
huge sum, 159bn was spent on benefits - an
increase of 1.1 on the previous year. That is
23 of all public spending.
5Tackling PovertyCentral Government
- UK spending on welfare is to be capped at
119.5bn for 2015-2016, Chancellor George Osborne
has announced. - The basic state pension and some unemployment
benefits will be excluded from the cap.
119.5 billion!
6Tackling PovertyCentral Government
- What benefits do you think this money is spent
on? Why? - Number yourself 1-4.
- On your own think about the following benefits.
What are they? Who might claim them and why. - Rank the following benefits in order with the
most spent first. - Job Seekers Allowance
- Pensions
- Disability Living Allowance
- Housing Benefit
7Total spent on benefits in 2011-12
Highest spend on pensions
JSA (the brew or the dole) is quite low
8http//www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/year_spending_20
13UKbn_12bc1nukgs302 Government spending
figures
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12Should there be a benefits system?
13Should there be a benefits system?
YES NO
A democratic society should look after the poorest and weakest in society Having no benefit system would lead to an increase in crime as poor people need to get money somehow Some people deserve help the disabled, lone parents, unemployed etc. Anyone can face difficulties such as becoming unemployed or developing a health problem and so they should be entitled to help The government should be responsible for creating jobs and helping people get jobs Children should not suffer because of their parents mistakes The system creates equality Why should people that work have to pay for people that dont? Why should people have to pay for drug addicts, alcoholics etc. to get benefits when they choose to become addicts? People on benefits are laughing at people who go to work People should take responsibility for their own actions not look to the government for everything The system costs too much - taxes would be better spent on other things like improving education and healthcare People cheat the benefit system by working and claiming benefits The benefits system encourages people to be lazy
14Tackling Poverty
15Tackling Poverty
- You need to know about what is happening to
tackle poverty. This is the responsibility of - Central Government (London)
- The Scottish Parliament
- Local Authorities (Councils)
- Voluntary Sector
- Private Sector
16Central Government
- The UK Governments Department of Work and
Pensions are responsible for providing people in
need in the UK with financial support. Some of
these benefits have been around for a long time
and are listed below. However, the coalition
government are introducing a Universal Credit as
part of their welfare reforms. - Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) (Formerly
Incapacity Benefit) - Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Cold Weather Payment
- Winter Fuel Payment
- Sure Start Maternity Grant
- Community Care Grant
- Social Fund
- Tax Credits
- Minimum Wage
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18The Jobcentre
- This helps people who are out of work to find
work. - Also helps people to claim benefits.
- Unemployed people can use this service to arrange
mock interviews, look at job vacancies and meet
with special job advisors.
19Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
- This is the main benefit for people who are out
of work. - Must be looking for work or working under 16
hours per week and be over 18. - To keep getting JSA you must go to a Jobcentre
office every two weeks to show how youve been
searching for a job. This is known as signing
on.
20Income Support
- This is extra money to help people on a low
income and people working less than 16 hours per
week. - It is for people who dont have to sign on as
being unemployed.
21Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- This is financial help to people who are unable
to work because of illness or disability. - Aims to help people into work.
- Evidence suggests people who work are in better
health.
22Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- For people who have severe difficulty walking,
need help getting around or need to be looked
after.
23Cold Weather Payment
- Money towards heating costs during very cold
weather. - Available to people on income support, JSA, ESA
or Pension Credit. - Payment of 25 for each 7 day period of very cold
weather between 1 November and 31 March.
247. Winter Fuel Payment
- An extra payment to help older people with the
cost of heating bills. - Amount paid depends on a persons circumstances.
- Payments range from 100 to 300.
25- The cost of providing benefits for people out of
work has risen constantly over the last several
decades.
26Cost of benefits 2011-12
278. Universal Credit
- Universal Credit is a new benefit that has
started to replace 6 existing benefits with a
single monthly payment into your account.
Universal Credit will help you to be better off
in work, start a new job or work more hours. - Universal Credit will eventually replace
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
288. Universal Credit
- At this time, your eligibility to claim Universal
Credit depends on where you live and your
personal circumstances. - Universal Credit started to be introduced in
stages from April 2013. - The plan is to make Universal Credit available in
each part of Great Britain during 2016. New
claims to existing benefits, which Universal
Credit is replacing, will then close down, with
the vast majority of claimants moving onto
Universal Credit during 2016 and 2017. - There are no limits to the number of hours you
can work a week. Your Universal Credit payment
will reduce gradually as you earn more - you
wont lose all your benefits at once if youre on
a low income.
29Impact?
- The government estimates 3.1 million households
will be entitled to more benefits as a result of
universal credit. - 2.8 million households will be entitled to less,
but will receive a top-up payment to protect them
from a drop in income. - New claimants will receive the lower payment.
- Across all households, ministers say there will
be an average gain of 16 per month.
308. Universal Credit
- How much people receive depends on their personal
circumstances. Universal Credit is paid
differently to current benefits. Itll be paid
once a month into a persons bank or building
society account. - Any help people get with rent will be included
with their Universal Credit payment and then they
pay the landlord yourself. - People have to sign a Claimant Commitment to
make a claim for Universal Credit. The individual
and their work coach will decide what goes into
the Claimant Commitment, e.g. - what you need to do to look for work (e.g.
registering with recruitment agencies, writing a
CV) - how many hours you need to spend looking for work
each week - your circumstances (e.g. work history, health,
family or caring responsibilities) - Your benefit might be cut if you dont do whats
in your Claimant Commitment.
31Critics of Universal Credit
- The government thinks this will help promote good
budgeting and more closely replicate monthly
salary payments arguing that 75 of all
employees receive wages monthly. "This will help
smooth the transition into monthly paid work,
encourage claimants to take personal
responsibility for their finances and to budget
on a monthly basis which could save households
money. - Campaigners are worried that the shift from
weekly and fortnightly payments to this new
regime may push claimants recipients into debt. - The National Housing Federation says the shift
from paying landlords to paying claimants direct
for the housing benefit element could trigger
unprecedented levels of arrears and increased
rent collection costs - 84 of associations believe that rent arrears
will increase as a direct result of welfare
changes. - BBC obtained figures that showed when the direct
payments were piloted in six areas of the country
there was a big rise in rent arrears as some
tenants failed to pass that money on, with
arrears rising from about 2 to 11.
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33Tackling Poverty
34The Scottish Parliament
- Aims of Scottish Parliament
- Scotland's Regeneration Strategy
- Universal Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS)
- Scottish Child Poverty Strategy
35Aims of Scottish Parliament
- Aims to target all areas to do with poverty not
just income. - Works to improve health, housing, educational
attainment, employability and access to services. - Solidarity Target To increase overall income
and the proportion of income earned by the lowest
three deciles as a group by 2017.
36Aims of Scottish Parliament
- Aims to simplify benefits
- End the so-called benefit trap
- Free childcare
- Tackle fuel poverty
- Improve social housing
- Increase opportunities for apprenticeships
37Aims of Scottish Parliament
- More Choices more Chances
- Targets young people between 16 and 19.
- Aim is to get them back into education,
employment or training.
38Scotlands Regeneration Strategy
- Scotland's Regeneration Strategy sets out a 175
million programme of investment to support the
country's most disadvantaged communities,
transforming the prospects of the people who live
there.
39Universal Home Insulation Scheme
- This is interest free loans for more expensive
insulation measures including boiler replacement
to improve energy efficiency. - 12.5 million which was invested by the Scottish
Government in September 2011.
40Scottish Child Poverty Strategy
- Aim is to reduce child poverty by maximising
household resources and improving childrens life
chances.
41Tackling Poverty
42Local Authorities
- Housing and Council Tax Benefit
- Affordable Warmth Dividend (Glasgow)
43Housing and Council Tax Benefit
- This is help towards paying rent and council tax
and is available to people on low incomes.
44Affordable Warmth Dividend
- This is a scheme operated by Glasgow City Council
to assist residents of the city who are 80 years
of age and older with additional costs associated
with winter. - 100 affordable warmth dividend is part of
efforts to wipe out fuel poverty in Glasgow.
45Tackling Poverty
46Voluntary Sector/ Pressure Groups
- Child Poverty Action Group
- Shelter
- Save the Children
47Child Poverty Action Group
- CPAG campaigns use evidence of the hard realities
facing children in low-income families to call
for changes that will help end child poverty. - Support from the public helps strengthen their
campaigns and reach decision-makers. - CPAG in Scotland took a lead role in the campaign
for free school meals, which was launched in 2001
to persuade the Scottish Parliament to introduce
universal free school meals and therefore ensure
that every child in Scotland has at least one
decent nutritious meal a day.
48Child Poverty Action Group
- 1 in 4 children in Scotland live in some kind of
poverty. - CPAG seeks to raise awareness of and tackle child
poverty in Scotland. - CPAG offer advice to families and produce
publications. - For example, CPAG helps families claim certain
benefits such as tax credits.
49Child Poverty Action Group
- CPAG in Scotland works with other Scottish
members of the End Child Poverty campaign - a
coalition of 150 organisations from civic society
including childrens charities, child welfare
organisations, social justice groups, faith the
vision of a UK free of child poverty.
50Shelter
- This is a charity which tackles homelessness and
poor housing - Shelter gives advice, information and campaigns
for political change - They lobby the government and encourage them to
do more and change policies to assist the
homeless and those in poor housing
51Save the Children
- This is a charity which works to influence
government policy regarding child poverty. - Work with MSPs to discuss potential policies and
campaign to end child poverty. - For example, STC believe all children should be
entitled to free school meals and that childcare
should be paid for by the government.
52Tackling Poverty
53Private Sector
- Job Creation
- Public Private Partnerships
54Job Creation
- Scottish Entrepreneur Tom Hunter set up the
Hunter Foundation in 1998. - Invested 35 million to encourage Scots to be
entrepreneurs. - Positive Destinations scheme where grants are
given to companies to be used to help young
people in terms of education, employment or
training.
55Public Private Partnerships
- Private companies build state of the art
hospitals and schools which councils cant afford
to build. - These ensure that people have access to good
quality healthcare and education which in the
long run will tackle some forms of poverty.
56Tackling Poverty
57Minimum Wage
- This is the minimum amount per hour that workers
in the UK are entitled to be paid - It is set by the UK Government (see table below)
- The national minimum wage will increase by 19p an
hour to 6.50, the government has announced. - The new rate comes into effect in October 2014
and will benefit a million workers.
58- The transition to Universal Credit will take
place in three phases over four years, between
2013 and 2017. - From 29 April 2013, it will be trialled in
Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, Greater Manchester,
before rolling out to Oldham, Wigan and
Warrington in July. - The government says the new scheme will mean
people are better off in work than on benefits.
59I can
- I will be able to identify the different aspects
of the benefits system in Britain today - I will be able to identify what different
organisations are doing to tackle poverty - I will be able to reach a judgement as to whether
or not the benefits system is too harsh or too
generous
60UK Welfare Attitudes
- http//www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2013/jan/0
8/uk-benefit-welfare-spending - attitudes survey
by The Guardian