The Uneven Impact of Welfare Reform: The financial losses to places and people

Overview

Welfare reform has become a defining feature of contemporary UK government policy. The impact of welfare reforms varies enormously from place to place and for different types of household.

This report quantifies the impact of welfare reforms since 2010. It shows that the reforms have contributed to a widening of the prosperity gap between different regions of the UK, with families and working age adults worst affected, and knock-on effects to local economies. In total, 83 percent of the loss from the post-2015 reforms can be expected to fall on families. Parallel changes related to tax, the minimum wage, social sector rents and childcare are unlikely to offset these financial losses.