Rowntree Foundation austerity project
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation launches an austerity project
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has embarked on an ambitious £512,000 project to highlight the impact of public spending cuts and government policy changes on poor people and communities in the United Kingdom.
The project will reveal how the vulnerable and disadvantaged in society are coping in this age of austerity.
A JRF statement said: ‘We aim to track, understand and highlight the combined effects of policy changes, tighter public spending and the state of the economy on poor people and places. We will interpret and comment on these effects and make them known to policy makers.’
JRF are ‘creating a hub of austerity-related information on our website, focusing on how austerity measures are affecting poor people and places.’
The project will include a series of short films produced in partnership with Guardian Films. ‘We will be jointly funding a four-year programme of research on “social policy in a cold climate.” When we talk of “austerity” we mean government measures to reduce the budget deficit, such as cutting public spending, services and benefits.’
‘The programme will track, understand and make known the combined effects of policy changes, tighter public spending and the economy on poverty and inequality. It will highlight the experiences of poorer people and communities and bring together what JRF and others know about living through a time of austerity, through research and experience.’
Julia said that the foundation will keep its austerity web page up to date with new research, blogs, statistics and other comment as it becomes available.
