JRF responds to Chancellor’s party conference speech

In response to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's speech at Labour party conference, Alfie Stirling, Director and Chief Economist of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: 

“Families who have been struggling to put food on the table and pay their energy bills are not sharing the Chancellor’s optimism today. They want to know when change begins for them. Her talk of tough decisions has created a fear of what is to come in the Budget, and a dread that this winter will be as bad, if not worse, than the last. The Chancellor promised an end to austerity, but didn’t signal how she would support families already struggling to make ends meet. 

“Across the UK, families can’t wait for economic growth before they feel their situation improve. By failing to repair the foundations, like housing, welfare and public services, that underpin people’s lives the government also risks failing on its own terms to deliver a resilient economy.  

“As we have shown today, growth on its own won’t reduce poverty. For the economy to thrive we need to unlock the talent and potential of the millions of people currently trapped in poverty and insecurity. The Budget next month must make tackling economic insecurity - across, incomes, housing and care, as well as work - a top priority of the Government's mission for growth.”