Resolution Foundation Events Podcast

The new Government has set an ambitious target of delivering 1.5 million new homes over a five-year period – at a rate that hasn’t been achieved since the 1960s  – and has put planning reform at the heart of its agenda. But successive governments have aimed high, but delivered low, when it comes to housebuilding. Overcoming this record will require a lot of capital expenditure, in both political and cash terms.

What are the devils in the detail when it comes to getting controversial planning reforms right? What other interventions might be needed to enable firms to build new properties at scale? Where should new homes be built, and what role should social housing play? And how will future homeowners – and their neighbours – be affected by a successful housebuilding drive?

The Chancellor has set the date for the first Budget of Labour’s Government – 30th October – and has emphasised the stark fiscal difficulties facing the country, even if she goes ahead with the £23 billion a year of future tax rises announced by her predecessor but not yet implemented. 

What can we expect on tax in the upcoming Budget? How will the Chancellor navigate tax policies that may be economically sound but politically challenging? 

Catch up on this Resolution Foundation event now. 

The Government has come into office promising major workplace reforms that could amount to the biggest shake-up of the workplace in a generation. The ‘New Deal for Working People’ pledged a number of reforms, including to unfair dismissal, sick pay, employment status, zero hours contracts, the minimum wage, as well as changes to how employment rights are enforced. And while many of these reforms affect all workers, low earners will be most affected as they are disproportionately likely to have insecure work contracts, receive statutory rather than occupational sick pay, and not receive basic legal entitlements such as paid holiday leave.

But, although the Government has set a clear direction of travel, there are many questions still unanswered. How will probationary periods be used – will protection against unfair dismissal really be a ‘day one’ right? Does announcing a cautious one-year minimum wage policy mean there are bigger changes still to come? How should possible trade-offs with employment be handled? What would be the impact of giving zero-hours contract workers a right to regular hours?

The last Parliament was truly awful for growth in household living standards. The combination of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis left the country on course for the worst parliament for disposable income growth since the early 1950s. But while the possibility of future growth remains, it currently looks set to fall a long way short of the levels Britain experienced in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.

What is the overall outlook for living standards over the parliament? From real wages, to employment, housing costs and tax and benefit changes, what is driving the outlook for disposable income growth? Which groups are most likely to receiving a living standards windfall, and who’s most at risk of further stagnation? And what can the new Government do to ‘beat the forecasts’ and secure strong living standards growth across Britain?

The new Labour Government says it wants clean energy – and wider action on climate change – at the heart of its new economic strategy, pledging to go further and faster on decarbonising electricity, insulating homes, and shifting to electric vehicles than plans in the previous parliament.

These changes will facilitate economic growth and climate recovery in the long run, but the short-term costs in both political and actual capital investment should not be underestimated, and will need to be carefully considered. In particular, the Government should be acting now to ensure the costs are fairly shared, and do not lead to further declines in living standards for low-to-middle income households.

What scale of public investment can be achieved, given the condition of the public finances? How should the Government encourage the levels of private investment required? How can these costs be fairly shared across different regions and households? And will there be enough political will to deliver the investment needed for a fair transition?

Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/net-zero-investment/ 

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/net-zeroing-in-on-investment/ 

Labour has returned to power in Westminster for the first time in 14 years. The new Government has a big electoral mandate but faces a momentous task in delivering lasting economic and social change. From kickstarting growth and reducing poverty, to reforming the planning system, energy market and workplace conditions, Labour’s agenda is fraught with political and economic risk. Yet it also arrives in office with a commanding majority and the opportunity to set out an ambitious governing agenda.

What are the biggest challenges that the new Government faces? How should the new Chancellor approach her first Budget and Spending Review? When should we expect Labour’s extensive list of reforms and new strategies to start making a difference to people’s lives? And what are the prospects of the Starmer government forging a new political and economic settlement in the country?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Bringing together a panel of Britain’s political scientists, commentators, policy experts and economists, we’ll discuss the outlook for a new Labour Government.

View the election briefings: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/major-programme/election-2024/ 

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/times-are-changing/ 

Since 2010, Britain’s labour market has gone through a period of boom and bust – with record jobs growth in the last decade followed by a struggle to return to pre-pandemic employment rates in the 2020s. And while the country has experienced an unprecedented pay depression, a rising minimum wage has driven down low pay to its lowest level in decades. Debates about that record, and different parties proposals for the future, are central to this general election.

How has Britain’s labour market changed since 2010? How well have we dealt with the big issues of the past? What will be the most immediate challenges facing whoever takes office after 4th July? And how do the different parties plans measure up against those challenges? Where are the big areas of conflict and consensus? And what does this mean for workers?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from its latest General Election 24 briefing on the state of the UK labour market, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, we will hear from leading experts on a range of key issues from the future of low pay to boosting the quantity and quality jobs.

Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/job-done/ 

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/is-britain-working-2024/ 

Health-related benefit spending is rising – particularly among children and younger adults – and this increase is forecast to accelerate in the years ahead. With record numbers of people claiming disability benefits, incapacity benefits or both, there are serious questions to answer about what lies behind this trend and its impact on the health of those affected, the public finances and the wider economy. Worryingly, too often the understanding of this change is poor, posing a major challenge for whoever governs after the election.

What is driving the rise in health-related benefit spending? Is it the inevitable consequence of an ageing society, a sign that we are a sicker Britain than we used to be or have changes to the benefit system over the last 14 years played a role? How big an issue could this be over the next parliament, and how are the main political parties planning to address it?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from its latest General Election 24 briefing on health-related benefits, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, we will hear from leading experts on what’s driving the rise in claims and spending, previous efforts to tackle the issues, and what might lie ahead.

Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/under-strain/ 

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/the-cost-of-poor-health/ 

Britain’s welfare system has undergone a major overhaul over the past decade, with major reforms as well as major cuts. In more recent years it’s faced unprecedented pressures, from the Covid-19 pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis. The social security system is at the heart of many general election debates, and this one looks set to be no exception.

How has our social security system changed since 2010? Who has gained or lost out from these changes? What are the main challenges facing Britain’s welfare today and in the years ahead – from an ageing population, to high levels of child poverty? And what are the main parties’ plans for the future of our welfare state?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from its latest General Election 24 briefing on the UK’s changing welfare state, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, we will hear from leading experts on where these reforms have left our social security safety net, and why that matters for families, the public finances and the wider economy.

Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/ratchets-retrenchment-and-reform/ 

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/the-state-of-welfare/ 

A toxic combination of 15 years of low growth, and four decades of high inequality, has left Britain poorer and falling behind its peers. Productivity growth is weak and public investment is low, while wages today are no higher than they were before the financial crisis. Britain needs a new economic strategy to lift itself out of stagnation.

Scotland is in many ways a microcosm of this challenge. It has become a hub for creative industries, is home to several world-class universities and a thriving community of businesses – strengths that need to be harness and leveraged. But it also has high levels of deprivation, with homelessness reaching a record high and nearly half a million people living in very deep poverty last year. Scotland won’t be truly thriving unless it finds ways to ensure that all its inhabitants benefit from growth and investment. This is the central challenge facing policy makers both in Holyrood and Westminster.

What should a new national economic strategy for Scotland include? What would the pursuit of stronger economic growth mean for local, national and UK-wide policy makers? How will economic change affect the jobs we do, the places we live and the businesses we work for? And what are the prospects for cities like Glasgow, and nations like Scotland, in rising to these challenges?

Read Ending Stagnation here: https://economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/reports/ending-stagnation/

View the event slides here: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/ending-stagnation-glasgow/