Worklessness is NOT a local problem

High levels of worklessness among social housing tenants is far more likely to be caused by responses to the complexity of the benefits system than where they live according to a recent survey and report for DWP by the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallamshire University.

Accordingly, the report concludes that it appears unlikely that efforts to diversify the social mix in existing areas of social housing will have a substantial impact on the levels of worklessness, without also taking effective steps to improve the incomes and to promote the livelihoods of existing tenants directly.

Uncertainty expressed by some respondents about the short and longer term income implications of entering work was in stark contract to the certainty of their current positions, encouraging “getting by” personal strategies.

The report found no consistent evidence of a culture of worklessness but on the largest estate studied there was some indication, compounded by the wide range of other personal problems and postcode discrimination by prospective employers.

The poverty and employment traps on the 1970s seem little changed by many well-intended revisions of the benefit system and local regeneration is not the answer.