Welfare Reform on the Web (May 2006): Welfare State - UK

H M Treasury

London: TSO, 2006 (House of Commons papers, session 2005/06; HC968)

Budget 2006: main points from a social welfare perspective:

• Child Welfare: the Child element of the child tax credit is to rise by 14% over the next three years. Child benefit is to rise by 45p to £17.45 for the first child and by 30p to £11.70 for other children. Children eligible for Child Trust Fund payments will receive a second instalment when they are seven years old.
• Education: schools will receive extra cash to eradicate the pupil funding gap between state and private schools. A new £30.5m package for the next two years will help to recruit 3,000 extra science teachers.
• Pensions: Pensioners will receive no £200 council tax refund this year but get a promise of free national off-peak bus travel for every pensioner and disabled person from April 2008.

K. Leason

Community Care, March 30th-Apr.5th 2006, p.28-30

About 14 rich and famous charities now dominate the UK voluntary sector. They have been highly successful in securing public donations and winning lucrative government contracts to deliver public services. Smaller charities, run on a shoestring, struggle to compete.

M. Milner

Guardian, April 10th 2006, p. 24

The poorest pay most for gas and electricity. Citing an Ohio model, policy researchers recommend government purchased energy to help the rising number of pensioners and unemployed experiencing fuel poverty.