Spare, not a dime, but a moment of time.

My three children over the last ten years have been in the age group 16 to 25 years.  I have watched them and their friends make the transition from fulltime education to adulthood.

These young people have become adults who want to be independent of their birth families and are…

DWP Smoke and Mirrors

Unemployment is BIG business.  Forget the numbers out of work, the Department for Work and Pensions has announced the two companies which are ‘preferred bidders’ to deliver the new Work Programme in Wales: Working Links and a joint…

Tata Threat No Surprise

The news that Tata Steel might reconsider its location in the UK following the announcement of a carbon price floor in the budget should be no surprise to anyone in Wales.  Contrary to the picture of Wales as a green idyll, Wales is in fact one of the most…

Unemployment outlook grim

Yesterday’s budget contains little comfort for the 115,000 or so people in Wales who are unemployed.  The Office for Budget Responsibility’s own forecast sees unemployment rising over the next few quarters to a UK rate of 8.3% in the second quarter of this year, before it gradually starts…

Quick reaction to the budget – cuts are not working.

Despite the recent vote in favour of abolition of the LCO process, a great deal of the prosperity of Wales remains in the hands of the Westminster government. Taxation and benefits remain non-devolved matters, and decisions that will effect more people in Wales than many of the areas that…

Don’t just exclusively focus on Cardiff to grow Wales.

The news that furniture company Triumph has entered administration is a timely reminder that the Welsh economy remains threatened by the unprecedented cuts in public spending. The company blamed a slump in orders from the public sector for its problems, and immediately laid off 110 workers, with a…

What’s the point of careers advice?

As this year’s school-leavers gear up for their GCSEs and A levels, the prospects ahead are pretty bleak, with limited job opportunities, and fewer FE and HE places.  At such a time, advice on options ought to be absolutely critical….

Next time there is a boom, we need to make sure all areas benefit.

The news that the growth forecast has been revised down further offers additional evidence that the economy is not currently working (pun intended). The news of continued flat or negative growth is joined by growing inflation, and rising unemployment. These are three factors in a wider…

Who’s to blame for child poverty?

The news that one in seven children in Wales lives in severe poverty is no surprise but no less disgraceful for that. And for every child in poverty there is a parent in poverty too, making the real extent of the problem even worse.

As the news broke, attention…

Visit Wales – but not on a Sunday

I’ve invented a new parlour game. It’s called ‘The Impossible Journey’. Want to have a go?

Equipment: a map of Wales; access to the wonderful Traveline Cymru website. A grim sense of humour.

Rules: chose two towns in Wales, not too far apart, which it might be reasonable to travel…