Joseph Rowntree Foundation
banner
jrf-uk.bsky.social
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
@jrf-uk.bsky.social
We work to speed up and support the transition to a future free from poverty, in which people and planet can flourish.

https://www.jrf.org.uk/
Pinned
4.3 million children are in poverty

UK govt won’t see progress on child poverty by 2029 even with high economic growth 📢

Our analysis shows under our central scenario only Scotland will see child poverty rates fall by 2029 in part due to social security policies 1/5
📉 12 months of very low earnings growth, despite an uptick in September, is bad news for low-income families.

With inflation still above target, without real income growth families are likely to face increasing financial strain.
Slightly higher earnings growth in latest month of data means real earnings are up 0.4% on the year to Sept 25, equating to £2.20 a week, a huge contrast to the previous 12-month period where growth was more than 5 times higher at 2.4%, £11.60 after inflation.
November 11, 2025 at 10:02 AM
🔎 How do national narratives about poverty compare to residents' local experience?

Can data tell us about community resilience and exclusion, and what is missed?

Find out at Roots + Rigour, @placematters.bsky.social @justknowledge.bsky.social's webinar on 20 Nov.

More info: https://bit.ly/4ou4Ncf
November 9, 2025 at 2:10 PM
📊 We're hiring a Senior Quantitative Manager!

Can you turn data into creative, high-quality analysis and visualisation?

Experienced with applied quantitative methods and using national survey datasets?

Then we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now: https://bit.ly/3LqTdzQ
Octo Candidates - Application Form - Vacancy Details
jrf.octo-firstclass.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 4:09 PM
📒 Government published Sir Charlie Mayfield's ‘Keep Britain Working’ report today.

An ambitious framework for how employers can support workers in ill-health.

Focus must be here to shift the dial on employment of disabled people & benefit spend, not cutting people's benefits. 🧵
November 5, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
1/ 📢 Published today: our new research for @jrf-uk.bsky.social with Glasgow Disability Alliance calls for an end to social care charging in Scotland.

Disabled people are being pushed deeper into poverty — it’s time for change.

🔗www.jrf.org.uk/care/time-to-end-social-care-charging-in-scotland
November 5, 2025 at 11:34 AM
🏦 Economists don't agree on much, but one thing most will say is that the UK tax system needs improvement.

In a new joint @centaxuk.bsky.social paper, experts from across the political spectrum look at reforms to make the system fairer.
November 5, 2025 at 10:17 AM
We're proud to join @crisis-uk.bsky.social in their call for Local Housing Allowance to be unfrozen at the Budget.

❄️ LHA has been frozen since April 2024, heaping financial pressure on low-income renters in the private rented sector.
Abel’s experience is too common among the people we support.

He experienced homelessness for five months. Because housing benefit did not cover the cost of rent, he couldn’t find anywhere he could afford.

His message to the Chancellor: fix housing benefit on 26 November. [1/5]
November 4, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Spoke to the BBC about the drivers of deprivation and the impact on families. There's a clear link between living in hardship & feeling socially/politically disconnected.

To make meaningful progress, communities must be involved in decisions affecting their lives.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What is life really like in one of England's most deprived towns?
Hastings in East Sussex is one of the most deprived local authorities in England, data shows.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Deprivation isn’t only a rural or coastal issue. Some larger cities - Manchester, Birmingham & London - see high levels of deprivation too - driven by high housing costs and high levels of insecure work and low pay.

Wherever you live should not affect your chances in life -but this is not the case.
October 31, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Weak labour markets and low wages drive high deprivation in these areas.

While housing costs tend to be lower, the quality of housing can be much poorer.

🏠For example, 1 in 4 (25%) homes in Blackpool and 1 in 5 (21%) homes in Hastings are of poor quality.
October 31, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
🚨New deprivation data reveals continual deep regional divides across many areas in England.

High levels of deprivation are concentrated in many ex-industrial northern and midlands towns and coastal areas, where manufacturing and tourism industries have been lost.
October 31, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Great to be at powerful @turn2us.org.uk report launch in Parliament today, alongside @jrf-uk.bsky.social colleagues! Our social security system should be there for all of us when we need support, and treat people with compassion, dignity and respect #StopTheStigma
October 30, 2025 at 11:21 AM
🛒 Food, rent, energy and transport make up 46% of basic spending for the lowest income Northern Ireland households.

Head of NI Ursula O'Hare sat on @consumercouncilni.bsky.social panel last week to discuss the latest findings from their Household Expenditure Tracker.

Full report: bit.ly/4qvAmUu
Consumer Council Marks Three Years of Consumer Insight with Household Expenditure Tracker Event at Stormont | Consumer Council
The Consumer Council has highlighted the vital role of consumers in Northern Ireland’s economy during an event held at Parliament Buildings, Stormont.
bit.ly
October 30, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Scotland Demands Better was the breath of solidarity and joy that was needed this weekend! Great to be there with my @jrf-uk.bsky.social colleagues, the End Poverty Scotland Group and our family and friends. Let's keep up the momentum!
October 27, 2025 at 12:53 PM
📅 Happening tomorrow!

Colleagues @cdbirt.bsky.social @carlaonion.bsky.social @anniemckenzie.bsky.social will join thousands to march across Edinburgh as part of the #ScotlandDemandsBetter rally.

A life free from poverty is possible - and change happens when people stand together and demand it. 👇
📢1 day to go!

What: #ScotlandDemandsBetter march & rally

Where: Edinburgh, assemble at the Scottish Parliament from 10am and then march onto The Meadows

Who: Everyone demanding a decent and dignified life free from poverty.

Why: Because change happens when we stand together and demand it
October 24, 2025 at 10:47 AM
It is time for trust to be rebuilt in our political institutions. With nearly 1 in 4 children experiencing poverty in Scotland, there is no better place to start than building a better future for every child 🚸

Read our Poverty in Scotland report: https://www.jrf.org.uk/poverty-in-scotland-2025.
Poverty in Scotland 2025
Poverty is still too high, people are feeling overlooked and ignored by politicians — the next Scottish Parliament is vital for a better future for children in Scotland.
www.jrf.org.uk
October 23, 2025 at 9:25 AM
"You would be forgiven for thinking this amount must be based on what a person needs to get by in the UK today. That would be logical for our social security system. But you would be wrong."

🗣️ Hear from our Principal Policy Adviser @katieschmuecker.bsky.social for @bigissue.com
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that universal credit will still fall short by around £1,000 a year per person
Universal credit is set to rise – but not by enough
www.bigissue.com
October 23, 2025 at 8:59 AM
📊 Latest inflation figures published this morning show that CPI inflation sat at 3.8% for September.

Why does this month's figure matter more?

The government will use it to inform how much to uprate benefits by from April 2026. 🔽
October 22, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Next, our editor @nmozz.bsky.social explored the impact of race on child poverty.

"The more explicit we are in defining the problem, the better our chance at devising efficient solutions that are genuinely effective in the communities that need them the most."

national.thelead.uk/p/child-pove...
The colour of poverty: Black and brown children are at the sharp end of the crisis
Policies to tackle child poverty that don’t acknowledge the impact of race are simply not going to cut it.
national.thelead.uk
October 21, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
To start with, we have an op-ed from Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Principal Policy Adviser, @katieschmuecker.bsky.social, who called on the government to set more ambitious targets for tackling child poverty

national.thelead.uk/p/child-pove...
Child poverty is a failure of the state and the economy it claims to safeguard
The government insists we cannot afford to lift children out of poverty, while those same children pay the price for political caution.
national.thelead.uk
October 21, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Children in Scotland are 4x as likely to be in poverty if they are in two or more of the priority families that Scottish gov identified to highlight children at greater risk of poverty.

Politicians must recognise the intersections between these groups 📢
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VqCa3k5gtLQ
YouTube
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
www.youtube.com
October 16, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
In today's newsletter, we share The Lead's stance on child poverty, and a call from Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Principal Policy Adviser, @katieschmuecker.bsky.social, who says the government's ambitions to tackle child poverty must be set higher.

@jrf-uk.bsky.social
October 14, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Today, The Lead is launching its latest campaign to end child poverty now.

The government insists we cannot afford to lift children out of poverty, while those same children pay the price for political caution.

This is no longer workable.

national.thelead.uk/p/child-pove...
Child poverty is a failure of the state and the economy it claims to safeguard
The government insists we cannot afford to lift children out of poverty, while those same children pay the price for political caution.
national.thelead.uk
October 14, 2025 at 12:23 PM
The Scottish gov identified 6 priority families to highlight children at greater risk of poverty

9 in 10 children in poverty live in 1 or more of these priority families

Devastating stats tell us how important it is to invest in a better future for all 🚸

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NLTsFhPGgFU
YouTube
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
www.youtube.com
October 14, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
We are still at near zero real earnings growth since Sept 2024, 11th month in row. We had a very small rise in earnings in August 2025 on previous month, leaving earnings up just 0.2% on Sept 2024.
October 14, 2025 at 8:26 AM