News
Getting a tenancy in social housing generally used to mean that you could stay for as long as you wanted. But times are changing. Now it seems that the government wants to end so-called ‘lifetime’ tenancies in England. Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Dr Beth Watts from our research team consider our emerging evidence on fixed term tenancies in a new feature for Inside Housing magazine. Read their recent presentation slides.
Our latest guest blogger Mark Simpson of Ulster University explores questions about what respect for human dignity means in law. Following unsuccessful judicial challenges on human rights grounds to the household benefit cap and to mandatory work placements, he considers whether the fundamental right to human dignity is respected by a third pillar of the UK’s ‘welfare-to-work’ regime – Jobseeker’s Allowance sanctions. Read the blog here
Our new blog by team member Sarah Johnsen investigates the development of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs). Proposals to develop them in a number of towns and cities have provoked controversy, most especially with respect to the increased powers they provide to fine or prosecute people for sleeping rough. Perpetrators may be given a fixed penalty notice of up to £100 or face prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000. Feelings both for and against the use of enforcement tend to be very strong, she writes. Read her blog.
Are we seeing more conditionality in social housing? That was the theme of recent presentations by team members Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Beth Watts. Professor Fitzpatrick at the National Housing Federation management conference and Dr Watts the Social Housing Research and Insight Conference this month outlined the shift away from the ‘home for life’ model in England. The situation is contrasted with that in Scotland, where there has been little appetite for fixed-term tenancies. Read their slides here.
Our PhD research student Helen Stinson has used an internship with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to consider fundamental questions about what fairness means. Her blog highlights the debate on whether welfare should be organised for all, or to benefit those in most need. Read the full story here.
Our Director Professor Peter Dwyer delivered this year’s prestigious Sir Roland Wilson public lecture at Australian National University in Canberra last month. His theme was: Justifying conditionality: sanctions, support and behaviour change in the UK. In a wide-ranging address he charted the history of conditionalilty and social citizenship in the UK before outlining some insights from our research. Read his slides here.
Our new blog post by guest writer Deven Ghelani finds that local conditionality is becoming increasingly prevalent. The Policy in Practice director draws on his experience of working with local authorities to set out some ideas on what makes a good scheme. Read the full story here.
Our Director Professor Peter Dwyer presented early data from our research at an international conference in Australia last week. He outlined early experiences and expectations of Universal Credit claimants in the UK. The event, focused on welfare reform, was hosted by the Australian National University. See his presentation slides here.
In this new blog, Christina Beatty and Steve Fothergill from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University, summarise four research reports they have published on the effects of welfare reform in Scotland. They find that to date, there is no evidence of positive labour market impacts in that country. Read the full story
That was the title of a presentation about our research to a Social Policy Association event on 11 September. Our Director Professor Peter Dwyer was one of seven speakers to address the roundtable event held at the British Library. His presentation is here.
