WBG responds to Government’s ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper

Responding to the government’s ​“Get Britain Working” white paper, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, director at the Women’s Budget Group, said:

“The Government’s White Paper ‘Get Britain Working’ is a step in the right direction to meet its own targets for the number of people in paid work, and improve how the DWP delivers employment support to people with health conditions. It’s good to see the Government recognise that tackling economic inactivity will require more and better employment support, alongside investment in our health and social care systems, committing to an additional £22.6 billion of funding in 2025-26 for the Department of Health and Social Care

“We particularly welcome the Government’s acknowledgment of the disproportionate impact of unpaid care on women and their ability to participate in the labour market, and therefore on their earnings.

“We’re pleased to see that the Government is committing to improving support for carers to balance unpaid care with paid work. A review of carers’ leave and Universal Credit’s system of tapers and work allowances is welcome. Raising the Weekly Earnings Limit in Carer’s Allowance in England and Wales to the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage from April 2025 as announced in the October Budget is a good first step, allowing people to increase their income from employment while retaining CA. Nevertheless, other problems with the CA must also be addressed including an increase to the rate paid.

“It’s good to see the Government acknowledge the ‘lack of affordable and accessible childcare, inflexible working practices and fragmented and poor-quality information’ as key barriers for women to remain or re-enter the labour market and/or increase their working hours.

“Nonetheless, ‘economic inactivity’ remains a value-laden term that assumes that caring or other unpaid work does not contribute to the economy. We strongly believe that paid employment is not the only means of actively contributing to the economy. We know that raising children and caring for ill family members is work without which our economy would grind to a halt.

“We look forward to seeing the details of the government’s plans for benefits in the green paper next Spring. We hope Liz Kendall will take the concerns voiced by Disabled people and anti-poverty groups about the ineffectiveness of sanctions and the already precarious financial circumstances that many Disabled people are facing seriously.

“Slashing the benefits bill” – as the Prime Minister announced – cannot mean further eroding the incomes of one the most vulnerable groups in our society by either tightening eligibility, effectively taking away benefits from people who rely on them, or lowering the amount they receive. Our analysis shows that Disabled women are among those who have seen their living standards decline the most due to changes to tax and benefits and cuts to public services, losing 11% of their standard of living. Women make up 55% of Disabled people and 55% of PIP claimants. They also make up the majority of unpaid carers for Disabled people.

“We were disappointed that at her October Budget, the Chancellor confirmed this Government would continue with reforms to the Work Capability Assessment announced by the previous Government, which assesses eligibility for additional Universal Credit and contributory Employment Support Allowance. These plans are likely to reduce the levels of support available to Disabled people and are hard to reconcile with the core aims of the White Paper to support Disabled people into suitable and inclusive work.”