{"id":25180,"date":"2014-06-20T07:10:47","date_gmt":"2014-06-20T06:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=25180"},"modified":"2014-06-20T07:10:47","modified_gmt":"2014-06-20T06:10:47","slug":"28-tinkerings-at-the-edge-of-relevance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2014\/06\/20\/28-tinkerings-at-the-edge-of-relevance\/","title":{"rendered":"28 tinkerings at the edge of relevance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ed Miliband has, according to the Guardian<\/a>, embraced IPPR's new report, launched today and entitled 'The Condition of Britain'. I was, therefore, duty bound to take a look.<\/p>\n

IPPR's recommendations are (from their own press release via the Guardian) (and in full here<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Families - raising children and nurturing relationships<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 A month off for fathers when their child is born, paid at least the minimum wage, plus paid time off for fathers to attend antenatal appointments<\/p>\n

\u00b7 A guaranteed full-time, year-round affordable childcare place for all 1-4-year-olds, including a free 15 hour entitlement for all 2-4-year-olds<\/p>\n

\u00b7 All staff working with two-year-olds to hold at least a level 3 child development qualification, and 30 per cent to hold an early years degree<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Child benefit to rise with prices for under fives but frozen for older children<\/p>\n

\u00b7 A separate work allowance for second earners in universal credit<\/p>\n

\u00b7 A lifetime entitlement to one course of couples counselling for all adults and an end to marriage notice fees<\/p>\n

Young people - enabling secure transitions into adulthood<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 A youth allowance for 18-21-year-olds in education or looking for work, rather than access to out-of-work benefits<\/p>\n

\u00b7 A youth guarantee for 18-21-year-olds, with access to education, training or help to find work, and compulsory work experience after six months<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Half of young people aged 16 or 17 taking part in National Citizen Service by 2020<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Young adults brought under the remit of youth offending teams, rather than adult probation services<\/p>\n

Working life - promoting work and rewarding contribution:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 An independent National Insurance Fund to restore the link between contributions and entitlements<\/p>\n

\u00b7 A higher rate of JSA and access to support for mortgage interest for those who have paid into the system<\/p>\n

\u00b7 A Work Programme focused on the long-term unemployed and people recovering from a health condition<\/p>\n

\u00b7 A locally-led \u2018New Start\u2019 supported employment programme for people with a long-term health condition or disability<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Sick pay recovery for small firms hiring people from ESA, plus greater back-to-work engagement during sickness absence<\/p>\n

\u00b7 An independent Affordable Credit Trust to endow local affordable lenders as alternatives to high-cost payday lenders<\/p>\n

Housing - mobilising local leadership to build more homes:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 New powers for towns and cities to bring forward land for development<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Financial incentives for councils to reduce housing benefit spending by meeting affordable housing needs more efficiently<\/p>\n

\u00b7 New powers for councils to set the level of housing benefit in the private rented sector<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Control over housing capital budgets for combined authorities who want to shift from \u2018benefits to bricks\u2019<\/p>\n

\u00b7 In time, enabling combined authorities to take control of all housing spending in their area, with responsibility for meeting affordable housing needs<\/p>\n

Crime and exclusion - putting people and places in control:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 An entitlement to \u2018restorative justice\u2019 to give a voice to victims of crime and antisocial behaviour<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Neighbourhood justice panels in every area to mobilise local volunteers to help tackle low-level crime and antisocial behaviour<\/p>\n

\u00b7 A new locally-led \u2018Troubled Lives\u2019 programme to address the root causes of deep social exclusion<\/p>\n

Older people - living well together in an ageing society:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 A right to adjustments in working arrangements for people providing a significant amount of unpaid care<\/p>\n

\u00b7 An entitlement to means-tested support for older people with \u2018moderate\u2019 care needs<\/p>\n

\u00b7 An independent review to consider how the national insurance system could protect people from high care costs in old age<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Backing for older people who want to establish a \u2018neighbourhood network\u2019 in their local area to help tackle loneliness and isolation<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What can I say? Where is the big idea? Either this press release really undersells the ideas or they just aren't present - unless the small state is the theme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The stuff on housing is useful, I admit - but not transformational. And that's it, to be honest (bar a disastrous dedication to an NIC fund, on which I will blog separately). Some of rest might \u00a0be portrayed as negative in my view.<\/p>\n

If this is the agenda then it is one of 28 tinkerings on the edge of relevance. No wonder Ed Miliband is not sure he will make it to government.<\/p>\n

Surely Labour can do better than this?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ed Miliband has, according to the Guardian, embraced IPPR’s new report, launched today and entitled ‘The Condition of Britain’. I was, therefore, duty bound to
 Read the full article…<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-labour","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25180\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}