Understanding poverty in Wales

EventsResourcesVideosWebinarEvent Date: Apr 6th, 2020

This first webinar in our series explores the nature and extent of poverty in Wales today including:

  • How poverty is measured
  • Which groups of people are most affected by poverty
  • Where the highest rates of child poverty are found

Some of the key points that were raised in the webinar include:

  • The latest data shows a reduction in both the number of people living in poverty in Wales and the percentage of people living in poverty, in the longer term however, things remain fairly stagnant
  • People living in workless households, renters, large families and lone parent families are at a very high risk of poverty
  • In terms of the number of people living in poverty however, working households, households where there is a disability in the family and couples with children, account for the largest numbers
  • The risk of child poverty has been increasing for children living in workless households and in large families
  • The causes of poverty are low paid and insecure work, an inadequate social security system and high living costs, especially housing costs.

The Presenters:

Victoria Winckler

Victoria Winckler - host

Dr Victoria Winckler has been the Director of the Bevan Foundation since 2002, establishing it as Wales’ most exciting and innovative think-tank. Victoria is also currently Wales adviser to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Victoria is a leading contributor to public policy in Wales. In the 1990s she developed the proposals that secured EU Objective 1 status for West Wales and the Valleys, in the early 2000s she galvanised the Welsh Government’s actions to tackle poverty and most recently generated robust proposals for new Welsh taxes which are now being taken forward by the Welsh Government.

Victoria frequently gives expert evidence to Assembly Committees, comments in online articles and speaks at a wide range of events. She is currently a member of the Ministerial Tax Advisory Group, and a board member of Traveline Cymru.

Victoria previously held roles at the Welsh Local Government Association, Mid Glamorgan County Council and Cardiff University and has served in public appointments and as a board member of several organisations.

Victoria holds a BA (Hons) in geography, MSc in Town Planning and a PhD.

Steffan Evans headshot

Steffan Evans

Steffan joined the Bevan Foundation as Policy and Research Officer in July 2018 after working as a participation officer at TPAS Cymru.

In 2018 Steffan graduated with a PhD from the Wales Governance Centre, at the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University. His research examined the impact of devolution on social housing regulation in Wales and England, exploring how and why the law had diverged between both nations.

Steffan is currently looking at poverty in Wales and has a particular interest in exploring solutions for in-work poverty and in examining how the social security system could be improved.

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