Economist at Joseph Rowntree Foundation Views are my own. She/Herhttps://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3llc3kmza3c2zOBR's measure of living standards, RHDI, is up by £500 - largely due to stronger wage growth, including planning reforms which boost incomes. BUT when you dig into it, 3/4 of the extra income from housing services is 'imputed rents' (what families would receive if they rented out their home). 1/326 Mar 2025 15:20 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3llc3kmza3c2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3ll4fraaykc27Living standards are forecast to have already peaked this parliament, with Keir Starmer on track to preside over the worst parliament in modern history for living standards. New JRF analysis on living standards ahead of the Spring Statement ⬇️ 1/🧵24 Mar 2025 09:07 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3ll4fraaykc27https://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3lkuvuns5e22bWith the Chancellor expected to miss her fiscal rules next week, there are always choices on how to respond. Cutting disability benefits by £5b and further squeezing public services, already facing £8b in cuts to unprotected departments, are the wrong choices. 1/3 https://www.ft.com/content/5a8a72df-f34f-42bd-94a3-c124fb1f8c2c21 Mar 2025 09:34 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3lkuvuns5e22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3lko5esm6ws2sToday's announcement to cut £5b from disability benefits, to plug a funding gap in the Spring Statement, is an immoral choice to balance to books on the backs of those who need it the most. JRF's cost of living tracker shows the hardship already deeply hitting low-income families, before any cuts18 Mar 2025 16:59 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3lko5esm6ws2shttps://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3lgvdttuwqs2bHealth chapter in UK Poverty, out today, is a grim read. Life expectancy in the most deprived areas in England has never been lower, since reporting began in 2011. Comparing the 10% most and least deprived areas in England - Females live on average 8 years less - Men live on average 10 years less29 Jan 2025 16:03 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgvdttuwqs2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3lgupmqvbps2cKey stats from the cost of living chapter of the latest @jrf-uk.bsky.social UK Poverty report, out today 🧵 7 in 10 families in the lowest fifth of incomes were going without essentials in October 2024, including - Over half cutting back or skipping meals - 4 in 10 going hungry 1/429 Jan 2025 10:01 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgupmqvbps2chttps://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3lgimsb6bdc2cI ran some stats from our lastest cost of living tracker for Peston's show this week on the experiences of families in receipt of disability benefits. The whole segment is worth a watch on how many people the Government actually expects to move into work, and the hardship they are facing. [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Jan 2025 14:39 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgimsb6bdc2chttps://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3ld24hsqc4c2jDEFRA report out today shows food insecurity is up, from 8% of all households in 2019/2020 to 10% in 2022/23. Our cost of living tracker in October 2024 finds 46% of households in the bottom 40% of incomes were food insecure, most similar to the ‘very food insecure’ measure. Thread of stats:11 Dec 2024 15:54 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3ld24hsqc4c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3lcuobaw2z227Positive news that the 'move-on period' for refugees to leave asylum accommodation has been temporarily extended from 28 to 56 days. This policy drives homelessness and destitution and the extension must be made permanent, beyond June 2025. 1/409 Dec 2024 11:56 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcuobaw2z227https://bsky.app/profile/maudiejh.bsky.social/post/3lcf7xs52ac2q@jrf-uk.bsky.social latest cost of living tracker out today shows why living standards must drive Starmer's reset. Hardship remains entirely unchanged, with a warning of worse to come - 7m families going without essentials, including 5.4 without enough food - 4.3m in arrears Thread on findings:03 Dec 2024 08:30 +0000at://did:plc:czzdw2ib4y2wpnamudgoridg/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcf7xs52ac2q