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What a Difference Four Years Makes - Part 2

© Kate Evans

Polly Toynbee and David Walker’s ‘Did Things Get Better? An Audit of Labour Successes and Failures’ suggests that some of Labour’s policies in the last four years did actively tackle income distribution. Their figures show that, through social security changes and tax credits, the poorest ended up eight per cent (or £8.62) better off, while the richest in the country were about half a per cent (or £4.74) worse off. This does little to put a dent in the huge disparities of income which exist in the UK, but at least shows willing.

One of the flag ship policies of the last term was the New Deal programme to put young people back to work. Labour promised to get the 250,000 young people unemployed for more than six months into jobs. By April 2000, 216,000 were employed, but over a quarter of these were back on the dole within 13 weeks. There has also been a criticism that two out of three of those who got jobs through the New Deal would have done so anyway.

Those working on New Deal financed projects know the pressure to get results, with finance being short term and more and more dependent on “results” - ie the number of young people getting jobs after the course. This is irrespective of the needs of the individual - perhaps they want more training or help with substance abuse or some other kind of support - if they don’t get into work, the course provider gets no money. The temptation is to only take on those who will go straight into employment with the minimum of fuss. Leaving well behind those how are having the hardest time. So much for “no forgotten people.”

In their assessment of Labour’s first four years, Toynbee and Walker said, “The air is thick with promises, delivery yet to come.”

If Labour is serious about tackling the latter in the next five years, then the first step for the new cabinet must be to sit down with people living in poverty and those working with them. Because, even though the air now seems rather thin on promises, there are those who won’t forget what’s been said, because their daily struggle makes it impossible.,Polly Toynbee and David Walker’s ‘Did Things Get Better? An Audit of Labour Successes and Failures’ suggests that some of Labour’s policies in the last four years did actively tackle income distribution. Their figures show that, through social security changes and tax credits, the poorest ended up eight per cent (or £8.62) better off, while the richest in the country were about