Launch of 21st Century Welfare at Bromley By Bow
3 August 2010
The Bromley by Bow Centre was pleased to be the venue for the launch of the Government's key new consultation paper on the future of welfare in the UK on Friday last week.
21st Century Welfare was unveiled by Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and it heralds the first major step of the new coalition Government in reviewing the future of the benefits and tax credits system. A key theme of the consultation focuses on simplifying the system to make it easier for clients to access the money they are due and create a framework that incentivises people into employment. Launching the paper, Mr Duncan Smith said:
"A system developed to help the most vulnerable and support people in times of need is trapping people in a cycle of dependency. We now have children growing up in households where neither parent works and where the only future is one stuck on benefits. This is a tragedy that we must bring to an end. We are proposing to change forever how the system works. Not tinkering around the edges but a fundamental change from the top to bottom. Making it easier to help people into work, fairer to those who pay for the welfare state and continuing to provide unconditional support to those who need it. This will affect everybody which is why I want everyone with a view on the way forward to contribute. I believe these changes will make work pay and end the poverty of aspiration that has trapped too many people for generations."
Iain Duncan Smith had previously visited the Bromley by Bow Centre during his time at the Centre for Social Justice in 2008 and is a supporter of the Centre's integrated and holistic model of service provision. During his visit on Friday this week he met clients who have benefitted from the work of the Centre's welfare and employment teams and sat in on a ‘Better-off Calculation' workshop which demonstrated how getting a job would lead to improved income for individuals and their families. Rob Trimble, the Centre's Chief Executive welcomed Mr Duncan Smith back to the Centre and said:
"It is our belief that at a time of recession we need to maximise the contribution of social enterprises like the Bromley by Bow Centre, so that we can deliver the services that will lead to jobs and opportunities for all. Back in 2008 you generously gave your time to come and listen to our story and ask questions about our experiences here in Bromley by Bow. That was a time of time of reflection and learning. It's very clear that you and your colleagues have moved into a phase which is about action and implementation and we offer you our support and encouragement as you grapple with some of the toughest issues we face."
Consultation on 21st Century Welfare is open until 1st October 2010 and is available for download at the Department for Work and Pensions website - http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2010/21st-century-welfare/
