London’s Poverty Profile 2013

Hannah Aldridgeand

Tom MacInnes

London Poverty Profile 2013

1. London poverty breakdown2. Housing and welfare reform3. London’s poverty geography4. Conclusions

LONDON POVERTY BREAKDOWN

Poverty in London:10 years ago and now

Total number in poverty has hardly changed.

But they are not the same people, or at least the same type of people.

There have been changes by work tenure, and location

Overall it’s a mixed picture…

HOUSING AND WELFARE REFORM

Housing and welfare reform

• The proportion of households in London claiming housing benefit 26% in 2012 (20% for England in 2012)

• Average housing benefit amount £132 per week (£92 for England)

• …Impact of reforms will be boarder and deeper in London

Housing options: the national capsSingles and couples without

childrenCouple with one child and single

with two children Couple with two children

Inner London is ‘unaffordable to small families, all of London is ‘unaffordable’ to larger ones

Housing options: the local caps

Outer London faces huge demand for low cost PRS

LONDON’S POVERTY GEOGRAPHY

Unemployment rate Rank 2007-09 Rate Rank 2010-12 Rate

1 Tower Hamlets 9% 1 Barking & Dagenham 10%

2 Lambeth 8% 2 Newham 10%

3 Newham 8% 3 Tower Hamlets 9%

4 Lewisham 8% 4 Ealing 8%

5 Hackney 7% 5 Lambeth 8%

6 Southwark 7% 6 Southwark 8%

7 Barking & Dagenham 7% 7 Waltham Forest 8%

8 Hammersmith & Fulham 7% 8 Greenwich 8%

9 Brent 6% 9 Croydon 8%

10 Greenwich 6% 10 Enfield 7%

Inner East & South

Outer East & North East

Outer West & North West

CONCLUSIONS

Behind the statistics

• Capacity: less help from support/advice agencies?

• Complexity: tougher eligibility and application process make getting benefits harder

• Compliance: (lone parents proving that they are working 16+ hours a week)

• “Compositional fallacy”: even if anyone can get a job that doesn’t mean everyone can

Inner London LHA claims

Key points

• Solving poverty or shifting poverty?• London’s growing gap from the North• Housing, housing, housing• Local implications of changing demand for

services• What are the options for London’s

organisations and powers to reduce poverty?• What is the role of UK government?