In the News – October 2023

The Bevan Foundation’s work had a big impact in the media during October 

There was media interest in a range of Bevan Foundation work during October. Including our work on poverty and the cost of living crisis, our work on housing and our work on access to justice. 

Poverty and the cost of living crisis

With winter approaching, many media outlets have turned to the Bevan Foundation to inform their coverage of the cost of living crisis again this year. The Foundation received particularly extensive coverage on October 31st as the UK Government began the process of making its second cost of living payment. 

Speaking on a range of media channels, the Foundation’s Head of Policy (Poverty), Steffan Evans outlined that whilst the extra support was welcomed, it did not go far enough. Among the media outlets that Steffan appeared on were BBC Wales Today, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Cymru Fyw, ITV Wales, Bauer Media radio stations and Global radio stations.  

A week earlier, on October 24, Steffan had appeared on BBC Radio Cymru to discuss the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Destitution in the UK report. The conversation focused in particular on why destitution was such an acute problem in Wales and what actions could be taken to address it. 

Among other media outlets to have covered the Foundation’s work on poverty this month have been Nation.Cymru, the County Times and Yahoo News. 

Housing

On October 29 the Welsh Government announced that social landlords will be permitted to increase their rents by 6.7% from April 2024. In reaction to the news, our Head of Policy (Poverty) published a blog on our website arguing that the Welsh Government’s social rent setting policy is not fit for purpose. His comments were picked up by Nation.Cymru and on October 30 they published an article based on his comments. 

The Foundation’s work on LHA also continued throughout October with the Bevan Foundation becoming signatories to a letter co-ordinated by Crisis calling on the UK Government to increase LHA. The letter is available on Crisis’ website and was also picked up by the Intermediary. 

Access to justice 

September saw the Foundation publish it’s Firefighting: protecting legal aid funded immigration services in Wales report. The report outlined the precarious state of legal aid funded immigration services in Wales and it was the subject of an extensive article in Nation.Cymru on October 3rd.