Towards Wales without poverty

The Bevan Foundation is working with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

We’re producing an evidenced anti-poverty strategy for all age groups in Wales and the UK.

The project looks at:

• What measures of poverty should be used?
• What would a Wales and UK without poverty look like?
• What are the underlying drivers of poverty?
• What impact do different interventions have on poverty?
• How much do these interventions cost and how do they interact?
• Which could be adopted and adapted to eradicate poverty in ten years?

To help answer these questions, several reviews of existing research and policy have been commissioned, in order to assess what works best to reduce poverty across areas such as employment, education, taxes and benefits, families and relationships, and the cost of living. Leading thinkers have also considered how best to reduce poverty in the UK.

The UK strategy was published in September 2016, and ‘Prosperity without Poverty: a framework for action in Wales’ was launched in Wales in November 2016.

Key outputs

Reports and Articles

Prosperity without Poverty: a framework for action in Wales

Based on an extensive review of ‘what works’ and a comprehensive UK strategy, this report makes important recommendations for action in Wales – download it here.

Poverty in Wales, July 2016

This briefing provides an overview of recent trends in poverty including those affecting children, working age adults and pensioners – available here.

Consultation response: refreshing the financial inclusion strategy

Our response to the Welsh Government’s draft financial inclusion strategy, submitted in December 2015 and available here.

A National Programme to Spread Prosperity and Improve Life Chances

We recommended that the 2016-21 Welsh Government should adopt a radical programme to cut poverty and improve lives, drawing on the emerging evidence from JRF – available here.

Towards a Wales Free from Poverty: emerging ideas

This paper summarises some of the most promising ideas to reduce poverty in Wales – available here.

Rethinking Poverty

Victoria Winckler argues that the conventional measure of poverty is too narrow and too hard for public policy to change in Wales, and suggests some alternative approaches. Available here.

Keynote presentations

The Bevan Foundation provides expert input to conferences, seminars and events. Recent keynote speeches on poverty include:

• keynote speaker at the Learning and Work Institute’s Policy Solutions seminar on poverty and adult learning (14th June 2016)
• contributor at the Public Policy Institute Wales’ 2nd anniversary debate (21st March 2016)
• keynote speaker at Swansea CVS Annual General Meeting (November 2014)

Making a Difference

The Bevan Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Foundation have significantly shaped public policy and action on poverty. Here is a flavour of the difference we’re making.

Business Wales training

We’ve been delivering training to the Business Wales team throughout Wales on poverty and the key solutions which their advisers can champion.

New Ways of Thinking About Poverty

Our work was featured in briefings prepared for new Assembly Members by the National Assembly for Wales research service – here.

National Assembly for Wales Finance Committee

The Finance Committee’s scrutiny of the Welsh Government’s draft 2016/17 budget was shaped by evidence provided by the Bevan Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

• read the Finance Committee report
• read the evidence submitted
• watch the committee session (3hrs 10 mins in)

National Assembly for Wales Inquiry into Poverty and Inequality

The Bevan Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Foundation played a key role in the inquiry of the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee into poverty, giving written and oral evidence which provided a major input into the Committee’s final report and recommendations.

National Assembly for Wales Inquiry into the first 1,000 days

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Bevan Foundation have responded to a consultation by the National Assembly for Wales’ Children, Young People and Education Committee on the first 1,000 days of a person’s life. Click here to download their response.

Big Lottery Wales

The Bevan Foundation contributed expertise about in-work poverty to the Big Lottery Wales in April 2016.

Media Coverage

The Bevan Foundation features regularly in Welsh and UK print and broadcast media. Recent coverage includes:

• BBC News online 26th July 2016
• BBC Radio Good Morning Wales 26th July 2016
• BBC TV Wales Today 26th July 2016
• ITV Wales news online 26th July 2016
• Heart FM Radio 26th July 2016