This year’s report comes during a period of cuts to social security benefits and reforms
to benefits for sick and disabled people but before the introduction of universal credit
(UC) in 2013. Besides overcoming the formidable administrative challenge posed by UC,
the government is also now consulting about how poverty in Britain is to be defined
and measured.
The report also comes at a time when there has never been more data, more people
analysing it or more places to publish the conclusions. For example, the monthly
responses to new labour market statistics from ministers, opposition MPs, researchers
and media commentators, show that there are many ways to interpret the statistics.
To analysts and observers the outputs are fascinating and sometimes addictive. But this
report is not intended as a response to the most recent data, nor particularly to the
latest developments in government policy. Rather, it takes a longer view, at times going
back several decades.