JRF publishes briefing on an income safety net

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) published a briefing on 24 October 2023 setting out what it says a genuine income safety net across the UK must include¹. The briefing, "An income safety net", is part of a series of short papers on deep poverty and destitution, and was written by Katie Schmuecker and Morgan Bestwick¹.

JRF lists four elements it says the system must include: introducing a new Essentials Guarantee; addressing what it calls the sharpest edges of the system that drive hardship, including the five-week wait for Universal Credit (UC), the two-child limit, unaffordable debt deductions from benefits, and sanctions; creating a disability benefits system which genuinely supports people; and ensuring people get the support they are entitled to¹. It adds that the system must also prevent homelessness, help people with housing costs, and provide crisis and emergency support¹.

The briefing states that 7 in 10 people who experienced destitution in 2022 were in receipt of benefits, yet were still exposed to that hardship¹. It cites evidence from the Trussell Trust (2021) showing that inadequate benefit support is the main driver of the record number of people needing to use food banks¹.

JRF also says reforming the culture of the system is essential, pointing to disability benefits, sanctions and conditionality, and debt deductions, where it says people report not being believed, not being treated with empathy, and not being given the information they need to understand the system¹. It says stigma can make people unwilling to seek help¹.

The briefing sits alongside separate JRF papers on reforming sanctions policy, stopping unaffordable automatic debt deductions, disability benefits that support people, and getting the support you are entitled to, plus a report on introducing a new Essentials Guarantee¹. The briefing does not set out a timetable for any of the measures, and no government response or costings are reported in it¹.

Why it matters for households

The proposals concern the benefits that working-age households rely on, including Universal Credit and the elements that cover rent and children. The briefing identifies specific features of the current system as drivers of hardship: the five-week wait for a first UC payment, the two-child limit, deductions taken from benefits to repay debt, and sanctions¹. Each of these affects the amount a household actually receives, and the briefing's argument is that they can leave people short even when they are on benefits¹.

The briefing also covers disability benefits and the take-up of support people are entitled to, which affects households with health conditions or caring responsibilities¹. Its housing points relate to help with rent and the prevention of homelessness¹. The briefing is a set of proposals rather than a change in the rules: no rates, thresholds or start dates are given, and nothing in it alters what claimants receive now¹.

What happens next

No next steps are set out in the briefing. It does not say whether the government has been asked to respond, whether any of the measures will be consulted on, or when any change would take effect¹. The other briefings and the Essentials Guarantee report in the same series are listed as downloads and links alongside it¹.