Richard Machin

Understanding Holiday Hunger

The All-Party Parliamentary (APP) Inquiry into Hunger in the United Kingdom concluded that hunger will be an enduring part of the fabric of society unless urgent action is taken (APP Inquiry into Hunger, 2014). As part of the Inquiry’s examination of the extent and causes of food poverty attention was drawn to hunger among school-age children and young people, particularly during the school holidays. The relationship between hunger and free school meals (FSM) is an important element of this phenomenon. There are approximately 170 non-school days in the year when FSMs are not available to pupils (Graham, 2014). However, holiday hunger is not limited to families who rely on means-tested financial support with many households experiencing increased financial pressures during non-term time periods. This article will explore the prevalence and impact of holiday hunger and the ways in which it may be addressed. The article draws on an interview with Ruth Smeeth (Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent North) who is vice-chair of the All-Party arliamentary Group (APPG) on School Food.

Made to measure? An analysis of the transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment

Abstract As part of the government’s programme of welfare reform Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people of working age. This will have a significant impact on a wide range of disability benefit claimants. This article examines the government’s rationale for replacing DLA with PIP, the key technical differences between the two benefits and the role that disability benefits can play in reducing poverty. The introduction of PIP has led to considerable debate in the social welfare law sector about the scope, purpose and assessment of social security benefits for the disabled. These issues are explored with reference to the first Gray Review of PIP (2014) and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Inquiry (2016) into the impact of the UK Government’s policies on disabled people.

The Professional and Ethical Dilemmas of the Two-child Limit for Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit

ABSTRACT Child tax credit and universal credit provide means-tested support for low-income families. The government have introduced a two-child limit for these benefits meaning that the child element of child tax credit and universal credit will no longer be awarded for third or subsequent children born after 6 April 2017. The government argue that the benefit system should provide a fair deal for the tax payer and that families claiming benefits should face the same financial choices as those in work. However, it has been argued that there is an inherent moral injustice in linking benefit entitlement to the size of the family and that there will be an increase in child poverty. Firstly, this paper will discuss the ethics of limiting state financial support on the basis of family size with reference to how far social justice can be achieved in a ‘needs based’ benefits system. Secondly, there will be an analysis of the most controversial element of this policy – the so-called rape clause where an exception is applied if a claimant can demonstrate that their third or subsequent child is born as a result of non-consensual sexual intercourse. Finally, the paper will identify potential implications for anti-oppressive practice.

Homes and places: a history of Nottingham’s council houses

targeted. In-depth descriptions about the calculation of break-even rent levels can be found, as well as the ‘financial mathematics’ for loans in the social rental sector (Chapters 3 and 8). Chapters 5 and 6, respectively, explain how the general public with a special tax-free savings account called livret A and the employers via the 1 per cent-fund are involved in the provision of housing finance. The savings are transformed into loans for social renting. The fund is used for the finance of both social renting and homeownership. Without doubt, France has managed to develop a special system of housing finance and subsidization: it meets many different types of housing need by its wide array of policy instruments, applied in a relatively tenure neutral way, if government (tax) expenditures are being considered. As the book is generally not comparing the French system with other systems, appreciating the uniqueness of the system requires a good deal of background knowledge of housing policies in other countries. While detailing this range of policy tools, this book does leave the reader wondering about the effectiveness and efficiency of French housing policy, which no doubt will be a difficult question to answer, as it is not easy to determine the extent that subsidies are crowding out non-subsidized housing provision, for example. Nonetheless, the book furthers the understanding of the workings of the system from a technical and economic point of view by compiling the available data. Although many graphs and tables make for easier reading, some knowledge of the French housing market will come in helpful, as well as some knowledge of the French language, along with an interest in the details of housing finance and subsidization in France.