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CPAG: George Osborne’s welfare policies fail to address root cause of market failures

CPAG: George Osborne’s welfare policies fail to address root cause of market failures

In response to the Chancellor’s speech at the Conservative Party conference, Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

"It's a Groundhog Day welfare policy, with the same old headline-candy rhetoric about getting tough on claimants, but nothing addressing the root causes of failure of the labour market to provide enough decent jobs. We already have an intensive regime of support called the Work Programme, and today's announcement is an admission it's failing; but instead of putting it right the plan is to shunt the people it's failed onto yet another scheme afterwards.

"The Chancellor is right to say the cost of living is not detached from the economy  – it’s clear to us the fall in living standards partly reflects the failure to rebuild an economy with the decent jobs, with decent pay in every part of the UK. The labour market failures need to be addressed, because we know already that most of those who are out of work longest are in parts of the country where the market is not providing enough jobs. “

For more information, please contact Tim Nichols on 07816909302 or Imran Hussain on 020 7812 5237