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Assignment: Welfare Britain – the New Reality

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Welfare Britain – the New Reality

18/07/2013

BBC World Service - Assignment, Welfare Britain – the New Reality

London families talk to Nina Robinson about the reality of new welfare reforms.

For Assignment London families talk to Nina Robinson about the reality of new welfare reforms.

The system by which people in Britain receive state support is undergoing radical reform.  The current complex raft of benefits, which include housing, unemployment and family support are being capped and streamlined.

The government - led by a coalition of Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties – says that the current system is unaffordable and that the changes are designed to encourage people back to work. But critics of the new system argue that it fails to tackle underlying issues such as the difficulty of finding work and cost of living differences across the country.  

One of the most controversial reforms is the reduction in housing support for those living in accommodation with spare rooms - the so-called bedroom tax. Since April, when the reforms began to take effect, Nina Robinson has been spending time with London families affected by the changes. She meets Emmanuel and Tya who have been living with their children in overcrowded conditions. They think it is fair that people who have spare bedrooms should be made to downsize to smaller homes, so that families like theirs can benefit. But she also meets 60 year old Fred, who says his back problems prevent him from working and that he is being forced out of his home.  

(Image of Sarah with her family. Credit: Fiona Essex)

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