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Joint Public Issues Team

Churches working for peace and justice

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Poverty and Inequality, Uncategorised, Universal Credit · 1 March, 2019

Measuring Hunger – a big win for campaigners, and it’s only the beginning…

On Wednesday the news broke that the Government was going to measure the level of hunger in the UK. This is a major victory for supporters of the End Hunger UK campaign, including the four Churches which work together in the Joint Public Issues Team. More importantly the scale of hunger in the UK …

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Meet Your MP, Politics and Elections, Universal Credit · 18 October, 2018

Meet Your MP: Using our voices

In a guest blog, Revd Katy Thomas, a Methodist minister from Wilmslow in Cheshire, writes about her experience of arranging a meeting with her MP last month. At the Methodist Women in Britain Conference earlier this year, Rachel Lampard from the Joint Public Issues Team spoke about Universal …

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Blog, Briefings, Poverty and Inequality · 6 July, 2018

Updated Universal Credit Briefing

Universal Credit: increasing hunger by design Read the briefing in full.  Summary Last updated April 2019 As Churches we are concerned that the design of Universal Credit does not sufficiently take into account the lives, skills and resources of the least well off, and as a result will lead …

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Blog, Briefings, Church Statements, Poverty and Inequality · 15 June, 2018

“A benefit system which drives families into debt and leaves people hungry is a failing benefit system” say Churches

Speaking on behalf of the Baptist Union, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, Paul Morrison commented on the release of the National Audit Office (NAO) report, Rolling out Universal Credit, saying, “Churches have repeatedly expressed concerns about Universal …

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Blog, Poverty and Inequality · 26 April, 2018

Shooting the messenger: DWP’s response to news that Universal Credit is driving Foodbank use

Foodbank use is up 13% across the UK but in areas with Universal Credit (UC) the rise is a horrendous 52%. This figure is incredibly important. It is solid nationwide evidence confirming what churches and projects have been saying for some time – that many families are in trouble because of UC. …

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Blog, Poverty and Inequality · 14 February, 2018

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Department of Work and Pensions

The DWP’s twitter account contained a lovely Valentines message. The picture was pink with hearts flowers and clouds, and the message scrolls in “Declaring your Love tomorrow? Don’t forget to declare your TRUE LIVING ARRANGMENTS too – tell us your change of circumstances.” Followed by the ominous …

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Blog, Poverty and Inequality · 19 January, 2018

Perpetuating a dangerous myth

Challenging the myths around ‘workless families’. For many years the myth of ‘workless families’ and a ‘culture of worklessness’ has been perpetuated by politicians who should know better. Recent debates over Universal Credit, and the scandal of Ben Bradley’s blog are just two examples of this. It …

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Blog, Poverty and Inequality · 21 December, 2017

Merry Christmas David Gauke

This year at 3generate (Methodist Children and Youth Assembly) we asked young people to take part in some activities which explored how the benefits system in the UK works.  After taking part in our activities many of the young people saw a lack of fairness in the system and responded by writing …

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Blog, Poverty and Inequality · 23 November, 2017

Universal Credit: Solving one problem by creating another

The changes announced in Wednesday’s budget are likely to improve the often awful first weeks of a Universal Credit claim. The problem is that, rather than address the core flaws in the benefit’s design, they patch it over. The announcement is not so much a step in the right direction as making the …

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Blog, Briefings, Poverty and Inequality · 11 October, 2017

JPIT briefing ahead of today’s Universal Credit debate (updated January 2018)

Universal Credit will be debated in Parliament today and the JPIT churches have sent a briefing to every MP outlining our concerns.  The briefing outlines some of the key problems but the central message is simple: Universal Credit’s processes suit the lives of the relatively well-off, the people …

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