Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies examines the impact of 10 years of austerity on the welfare system and education. He hears from those at the sharp end whose lives were badly affected by some of the most controversial of the welfare reforms such as the bedroom tax and disability benefit changes. He ,looks at the mixed fortunes facing those in the education system and hears from the winners and the losers. Whilst universities have seen huge financial gains, the further education sector has been badly hit with night school and sporting activities being cut along with the equipment and staff needed to provide the apprentices for the next generation of technicians and engineers. Financial blogger Iona Bain asks why her generation of millennials have not been a priority for changes to the benefit system and why those who don’t receive a university education are being denied the opportunities they deserve.

Producer: Jim Booth
Presenter: Paul Johnson Show less