Around 1 in 3 Londoners do not have the income needed for a minimum standard of living

New research suggests that, although many of the costs associated with living in London are similar to the rest of the UK, a minimum socially acceptable standard of living is substantially more expensive in the capital. Matt Padley summarises the finding

Delivering localism: the critical role of trust and collaboration

Debate regarding the relationship between individual and state has been prominent throughout the current UK government's term in office and localism has come to occupy a central role in current policy. This article argues that attempts to deliver this localist vision should focus on the critical role of social trust and that this is best developed through collaboration. The actions identified as necessary for delivering decentralisation are considered alongside a review of the view of localism articulated in Coalition policy. The article then explores collaboration and co-production as a means of strengthening social networks and delivering the promises of localism

A Minimum Income Standard for London 2017

This report provides an update of the cost of a minimum budget, needed for a minimum standard of living, for four core households in Inner and Outer London comparing these with the rest of the UK. The update is based on price increases between 2016 and 2017, along with available data concerning childcare, transport and housing costs in the capital

Making ends meet in Birmingham: assessing the impact of the living wage and welfare reform

This report looks at what has been happening in Birmingham during a period of sustained economic uncertainty, exploring how the city has fared in some key areas – employment, housing, child poverty rates, and earnings. In doing this, the report also seeks to pinpoint some of the key challenges facing the city in the next few years (...continues)

Developing retirement living standards

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A Minimum Income Standard for the UK in 2017

This report is an annual update on what members of the public think people need to achieve a socially acceptable standard of living. This year’s update is based on changes in prices, in the context of changing taxes, benefits and wages

Defining and measuring housing affordability using the Minimum Income Standard, and the possibility of a living rent

The past few years have seen growing concerns over the ‘crisis’ in housing affordability, for both renters and home owners, renewing longstanding debate about what constitutes ‘affordable housing’. Alongside this, there is keen interest in understanding the impact of housing costs on living standards, particularly with the growth of the PRS as a source of housing for low income households. Currently the term ‘affordable’ in the UK generally means housing available at ‘below market value’ rather than resting on any considered assessment of what its inhabitants can afford. In this context, the paper builds on the work of Stone (2006) and others on ‘residual income measures’ of housing affordability, accepting that what households can afford to pay for housing depends not just on their income but also on their other spending requirements. We propose a new way of defining housing affordability for renters, built on an established and regularly updated measure of non-housing costs (or residual income), the Minimum Income Standard (MIS). The paper outlines our approach, and uses the latest Family Resources Survey to examine housing affordability across the UK and within London. It concludes by looking at how this new approach might be used to inform the setting of rents at an ‘affordable’ level – or what has come to be called a Living Rent

Households below a minimum income standard: 2008/9 to 2011/12

This paper: examines changes in the adequacy of household incomes between 2008/9 and 2011/12; looks at who is most likely to lack the income needed for an adequate standard of living; analyses the numbers and characteristics of those falling above and below the minimum income standard. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) commissioned this paper as part of its programme on the minimum income standard, which aims to define an ‘adequate’ income, based on what members of the public think is enough money to live on

Households below a minimum income standard: 2008/09 to 2013/14

This report is the fourth in an annual series; it monitors the number of people living below the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) threshold, as well as how many are well above and how many are well below this standard

Tell me your story: starting conversations about poverty in England

In this report we share three stories that show how complex life can be for ordinary people on a low income - the challenging situations they face and the hard decisions that need to be taken in difficult financial circumstances