The Norfolk Anti-Poverty Alliance is a movement of organisations and individuals who want to create a future where all of us can thrive.
Our response to the Pathways to Work Green Paper
While we agree that reforms to the social security system are needed, we strongly believe that the proposals set out in this Green Paper are based on two flawed premises; firstly that it is ‘too easy’ to access PIP or health-related elements of UC; and secondly that cutting social security is an effective way of getting people into the labour market.
Instead:
• We believe the proposals in the Green Paper represent a ‘cuts-first’ approach, and we argue that the right approach is to start by co-producing reforms with Disabled people;
• We set out that for many people, cuts to their income will make it harder to access or maintain employment, making the proposals counter-productive as well as harmful;
• We illustrate that the proposals have caused alarm and distress, because for many people the reality is the knowledge that at some point in the future they will face a significant drop in their income, and they will have no way to replace or substitute it;
• We highlight that the proposals will undoubtedly push large numbers of people into, or further into, poverty, and the mitigating reforms in the Green Paper simply will not meet the scale of this additional hardship.
Beyond those directly affected, these proposals are proving unpopular with the public at large, with More in Common polling in May showing that 83% of the public have heard of the planned cuts, 3 in 5 (58%) saying they are a bad idea.
For all of these reasons, we urge Norfolk MPs to vote against these reforms in their entirety, and instead to call on / work with the Government, to prioritise co-produced reforms to disability benefits. There also need to be meaningful employment support programmes, reforms of the health and social care systems and measures to tackle the factors driving the mental health crisis.
Our work
We have three core workstreams:
To campaign for benefit payments to be set at a live-able level, based on an independent review of the cost of essential items
To engage with local partners, to understand their targets and plans around tackling hardship
To ensure the voices of people with lived experience are heard nationally and locally.
Our vision
Our vision is a future where all residents of Norfolk have the dignity and security of having what we need to stay warm, dry, clean and fed.
Our mission
We are an Alliance of organisations and individuals that tackle poverty in Norfolk by campaigning for policy change; nationally and locally.
Experiences of poverty vary widely, but some indications of the hardship people are experiencing include:
- In some areas of Norfolk almost 10% of people have negative budgets – where money coming in does not meet the cost of essential spending, according to Citizens Advice data;
- As a result, people build up debt as bills cannot be paid. Norfolk Community Advice Network (NCAN) partners saw a 15% increase in requests for debt advice in 2023-24 compared to the year before;
- Norfolk Community Law Service saw a 70% rise in the number of people needing help to access welfare benefits in 2023/24 compared to a year before. It has seen a 71% rise in overall clients in just 4 years;
- Welfare benefits are paid at a level that is too low for many people to live on; almost two thirds of households using Trussell Trust foodbanks in Norfolk in 2023-24 were unable to work and were reliant on benefits;
- Age UK Norwich reports that 91% of clients who turn to the charity for advice are seeking help with income, debt, housing or bills.
The Norfolk Anti-Poverty Alliance will:
- Identify policies which drive poverty in Norfolk and campaign for change nationally and locally;
- Build and illustrate public and political support for policy change that would tackle poverty;
- Uplift people with experience of poverty and amplify their voices, illustrating the impacts of harmful policies and making the case for change.
Get involved
Watch our Norwich panel discussion, “How can we end poverty in Norfolk?”
Watch our King’s Lynn panel discussion, “What is Norfolk’s next big step on poverty?”
To find out more and join our next meeting, drop us a line at campaigns@ncan.co.uk.
About the Alliance
The Anti-Poverty Alliance was kick-started by Trussell, following a roundtable in autumn 2023 on hunger in Norfolk. Norfolk Community Advice Network (NCAN) is coordinating the alliance. This builds on on our work declaring a Cost of Living Emergency and calling for an extension to the Household Support Fund.