Government must resist pressure to be ​“tough” on people on benefits

Responding to the government’s ​“Get Britain Working” white paper, Tom Pollard, Head of Social Policy at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), said:

“The high number of people out of work due to disabilities and poor health is symptomatic of long-term government failure to help people to stay well and, where possible, in work, so it is welcome to see new government plans today to improve support.

“Moving away from the ​‘tick box’ culture in jobcentres, where the primary focus is on monitoring compliance, is the right thing to do. Devolving more power and resources to local areas to join up support around health, skills and employment is also an important step to help more people feel confident and comfortable to engage with employment support. And focusing on helping people into good jobs rather than just any job is a welcome shift of emphasis.

“If the government is going to fulfil its ambition of delivering more effective employment support, it must resist pressure to focus on short-term savings or being ​‘tough’ on people on benefits. It must also address the wider factors that are holding people back and contributing to poor health, such as insecure and poor-quality jobs, benefit rates that leave many unable to afford the essentials, expensive and insecure housing, and public services that are failing to support them with their health and wider needs.”

ENDS

Contact

James Rush – james.rush@neweconomics.org

Notes

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