Welfare reform is needed, but must go further and avoid attempts at headline grabbing.

For years, the welfare system has been identified as a barrier to people finding work. There has often been little financial incentive for somebody to take low paid, part time or infrequent work as the taper rate – (the rate at which benefits are withdrawn) and tax rate have…

Legal Aid Cuts will hit women , poor and homeless hardest

“What is happening is absolutely shambolic and threatens to cause serious injustice”

(Mark Powell QC Deputy High Court Judge)

There is no doubt that the  government’s plans to slash legal aid are radical. Ken Clarke’s green paper proposes removing legal aid from some of the most vulnerable in our society.

Amongst…

Friday Feature: “You can see me on you tube”

This is an edited version of a longer article that was originally published in the Bevan Foundation Review in Winter 2009. The Bevan Foundation Review is available to all our members, you can join the foundation here

Wales has a long history of struggle for democracy, for “llais y bobl”…

Size matters

Understanding the shape and size of our private sector is critical if a range of government policies are to be effective.  From our skills policy to our economic and trade policy, if we do not understand our ‘customer’ we are doomed to failure.  A few weeks ago, the Office…

Welsh Councils face Westminster funding gap

Westminster looks set to intervene in one of the most devolved of areas – local government spending – as council budgets could face a funding gap caused by changes to Council Tax Benefit.

At present, the Welsh Assembly Government set the parameters for council tax, and local authorities determine the…

NHS Spending

In the debate about the ‘ring-fencing’ or protection of spending on the NHS in Wales, the one argument that hasn’t been aired is which spending pattern best promotes good health.  We’ve heard all the budgetary arguments – that protecting health spending means that other services such as education take…

Friday Feature: Moving to a green economy must be just

This is an edited version article that was originally published in the Bevan Foundation Review in June 2009. The Review is a seasonal publication sent to our members. 

 In the earliest stages of the financial crisis the Welsh Assembly Government made an immediate response by convening the first economic summit in…

The state we’re in as consumers

Over the last month or so, Consumer Focus Wales has been taking the pulse of the nation.

Working with Participation Cymru, we have been to all corners of Wales to hear the consumer experiences of a diverse cross-section of Welsh society.

We’ve been asking people what they think of the…

Independent Living Now

Disability Wales are currently running a campaign for “Independent Living NOW!”

Independent Living enables us as disabled people to achieve our own goals and live our own lives in the way that we choose for ourselves. This doesn’t mean that as disabled people we should have to live in…

A chance for young people to have their say.

There is a constant need to engage young people in politics. Whilst GCSE and A Level courses outline academic aspects of politics it is rarer that young people get the chance to leave the class room and directly engage with policy makers. The Bevan Foundation…