Introduction

Welfare reform is a defining feature of contemporary UK government policy. The 1997–2010 Labour government initiated a number of important changes but the pace of reform quickened dramatically following the election of its Conservative-led coalition successor, when reducing spending on welfare benefits became central to the government's economic strategy. The wholly Conservative government elected in 2015, and re-elected in 2017 but without an overall majority, has maintained the momentum with a further round of reforms.

This chapter examines the local impacts of the welfare reforms implemented in the UK between 2010 and 2016. Specifically, it looks at the cumulative financial losses in local areas across the country, a perspective the government itself has failed to bring to bear. The figures we present are estimates but in every case they are deeply rooted in official statistics – for example in the Treasury's own estimates of the financial savings, the government's Impact Assessments and benefit claimant data.

Welfare reform is a contentious issue. Throughout the period since 2010 the dominant motivation of government has been to reduce the UK's budget deficit, but an ideological agenda that has stigmatised those in receipt of benefits and encouraged paid employment has also played a part. In documenting the impacts, the chapter does not attempt to comment on the merits of the overall strategy or of each of the reforms. However, it makes no apology for considering the impact on different places because this is a dimension that is too often overlooked.

The welfare reforms

The ten major welfare reforms implemented in the UK between 2010 and 2015, which are the focus of the statistics presented here, are: