Poverty

Attitudes of the British people are hardening towards benefits and those claiming it. That's the message from this year’s British Social Attitudes Survey.

I am in two minds about Richard Bilton's warts and all look at life on the Shadsworth Estate in Blackburn - one of Britain's poorest estates – shown on Panorama on Tuesday night.

"Yes, I do think it's wrong that our benefits system gives couples with children more money if they live apart – and we will bring an end to the couple penalty".
David Cameron, Conservative Party Conference, 2008

There is both good and bad for poverty in current welfare reforms but unfortunately, on balance, our forecasts show the bad risks outweighing the good. By 2020, we expect to see over one in four children and four in ten lone parents living below the relative income poverty line. Predictions for absolute poverty are not much better, with an expected rise to 23% for children.

For anyone who says politics doesn't matter, last week's exchanges on social mobility shows they’re wrong. It also shows that, despite the difficulties, getting evidence into the debate is essential if we’re to make progress. And we do need to make progress.

If you have been watching the BBC 10 o'clock news this week, you might be forgiven for thinking that the impact of the recession and spending cuts were only hitting people in Yorkshire. For two consecutive nights, case studies were used of people, not just from Yorkshire, but from Leeds specifically, who were talking about the financial struggles they are facing.

The UK has always been a hugely centralised country, and London persistently dominates the national agenda. This year, in particular, all eyes are focused on London and the economic and social benefits the Olympics will bring to the country.

Budget 2012 was a bit of an anti-climax. And it was more focussed on the squeezed middle than the pinched bottom.

We all know Budget 2012 is going to be tough. We've been told this often enough, and the eminent Tony Travers reminds us that the choices in front of the Chancellor are real and his room for manoeuvre limited.

The last month has been dominated by the parliamentary debate about welfare reform, and it has been tempting to see this as – finally – a big and public debate about poverty.