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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · 13d

"Pushing people into insecure, physical, inflexible work when they are already challenged by disability or mental health problems is futile. These jobs don’t work and they don’t last"

Spot on from @claremcneil.bsky.social - important work by @timewise.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

Sick who go back to work end up in low-paid, physically tough jobs

Only a tiny fraction of economically inactive find a job each year, and it is often an unsuitable role where they can only last a few months, research shows

www.thetimes.com

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · 20d

New Mental Health Act data out today:

-52,000 detentions last year (similar to the previous year)

-Black people 4x more likely than white people to be detained (up from 3.5x)

-A 17% increase in Community Treatment Orders

-Black people 8.5x more likely that white people to be on CTOs (up from 7x)

Mind @mind.org.uk · 20d

Mental health support isn’t equal.

People from racialised communities face worse outcomes and unfair treatment.

The UK government needs to go further to stamp out racism in the Mental Health Act for good

These stats below are from England only. 1/6

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · 28d

Full report here: www.trussell.org.uk/news-and-res...

Hunger in the UK 2025 | Trussell

The latest report in our flagship Hunger in the UK research series provides a ‘state of the nation’ look at the scale and drivers of food bank provision and food insecurity across the UK.

www.trussell.org.uk

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · 28d

New @trusselluk.bsky.social data shows millions more people experiencing food insecurity than two years earlier

If we want to understand the rising prevalence of mental health problems, we should start with the rocketing numbers of households facing inadequate social & economic circumstances

Chart showing the prevalence of conditions and impairments for people referred to Trussel food banks compared to the general population. 18% referred to food banks had a physical disability compared to 7% in the general population. 25% had a long-term physical disability compared to 20% in the general population. 58% had a mental health condition compared to 15% in the general population. And 9% had a learning disability or difficulty compared to 2% in the general population

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Aug 29

Thanks Nicola. It all came from this paper last year that Lloyds Banks Foundation kindly funded! neweconomics.org/2024/08/bett...

Better engagement for better outcomes

Taking a rapid test and learn approach to engagement with people out of work due to disabilities and poor health

neweconomics.org

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Aug 29

The report contains a wealth of info about how we developed & delivered this proactive outreach

It's critical that DWP & local government fully explores the potential for improving voluntary engagement before considering mandatory appointments for this group 3/3 neweconomics.org/2025/08/incr...

Increasing voluntary engagement with employment support

Findings from a test and learn pilot led by Camden council

neweconomics.org

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Aug 29

With just one pass at reaching out to a cohort of 800 residents over a four week period, we were able to engage 10% with a support conversation, of which over 40% agreed to an onward referral to employment support. We identified many opportunities to improve on these numbers 2/3

Chart showing that, from 757 residents successfully contacted, 110 (15%) volunteered to take part in a support chat, 79 support chats were successfully completed, each leading to 2.6 referrals into other services on average, with 42% of people agreeing to a referral to employment support

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Aug 29

My final piece of work for @neweconomics.bsky.social was a collaboration with Camden Council & a brilliant team of staff there

We ran a test & learn pilot to explore how to increase voluntary engagement with employment support among ill & disabled residents 1/3

Image of report cover with the title 'Increasing voluntary engagement with employment support: Findings from a test and learn pilot led by Camden Council' with logos for the New Economics Foundation and Camden Council

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Aug 28

Wrapping up at @neweconomics.bsky.social today after a really enjoyable two & a half years leading the social policy team

Very excited to be returning to @mind.org.uk as head of policy, campaigns & public affairs in September

Means there's a great job going at NEF: neweconomics.org/about/work-w...

Head of Social Policy

Together we can change the rules to protect the planet, share the wealth and give everyone a say in how the economy is run.

neweconomics.org

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Aug 20

BBC coverage of a powerful new report by @neweconomics.bsky.social's @hollies.bsky.social about the impact of temporary accommodation on children's mental health, with a focus on Southwark where there is one classroom worth of homeless children for every primary school www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Southwark sees 77% rise in homeless children, report finds

There is one classroom worth of homeless children for every primary school, the report says.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Aug 15

"The lesson Reeves will take from the HMRC release is that the rich did not run. But it should also be that knowing what the rich are doing with their wealth is politically useful"

Great piece from @hollies.bsky.social of @neweconomics.bsky.social www.newstatesman.com/politics/eco...

Rachel Reeves was right about non-doms

And the right-wing press was wrong.

www.newstatesman.com

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Reposted by Tom Pollard

New Economics Foundation @neweconomics.bsky.social · Jul 31

NEW RESEARCH: The richest households in England will be eight times more likely to benefit from the government’s expanded programme of funded childcare hours. 1/8

Image of mother and baby looking at a laptop screen. Text reads: Childcare inequality in England. New analysis reveals who really benefits from government support.

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Reposted by Tom Pollard

Tom Stephens @tcstephens.bsky.social · Jul 31

A pretty hefty piece of @neweconomics.bsky.social analysis out today by me & @pollardtom.bsky.social, in collaboration with @jrf-uk.bsky.social, on the problems with free hours-based childcare system Labour inherited - & case for a more progressive alternative 👇[1/]

neweconomics.org/2025/07/the-...

The Universal Family Childcare Promise

Guaranteeing support for parents and children

neweconomics.org

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 14

"We don’t cancel weddings months out because there’s a chance of drizzle - we shouldn’t restructure fiscal policy purely on the basis of a single number we know to be, at very best, an informed guess"

Really helpful contribution from @andymacnaemp.bsky.social www.newstatesman.com/politics/eco...

The OBR is always wrong

Making economic policy by forecast is driving Britain in circles.

www.newstatesman.com

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 13

Great @newstatesman.com piece by @neweconomics.bsky.social's Hollie Wright

The "exodus" of the wealthy is being overblown & departures are often "more about 'perceptions of declining opportunity & social cohesion' than any particular fiscal measure" www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

The British “wealth exodus” is a big fat myth

Rachel Reeves is not responsible for chasing millionaires away from UK PLC.

www.newstatesman.com

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 10

Why shouldn't someone assessed by DWP as too unwell to work & facing significant extra costs due to disabilities & poor health receive state support at least around the rate of a minimum wage salary?

I spoke to Ian Collins on TalkTV earlier about (misleading) reports today on this subject

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Reposted by Tom Pollard

Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · Jul 10

Over 1.6m children are now impacted by the Two-Child Limit - 11.6% of all children

This is a cruel policy that unnecessarily drags children into deeper levels of hardship

It needs to go, and the longer it is kept, the greater the scarring effects on children's health and education will be

A graph showing the increase in the number of children impacted by the Two-Child Limit since April 2018

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 10

Full statistics release here: www.gov.uk/government/s...

Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025

www.gov.uk

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 10

New government data on the impact of the two child limit: 469,780 households now affected, with 1,665,540 children in those households

Almost 40,000 more children affected since last year

It's a child poverty machine & it will cost us all more in the long term - get rid of it

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 10

The 'work disincentive' argument implied here is completely disingenuous because people would keep PIP (& a decent chunk of their UC) if they moved into work

The vast majority of people in this position would rather be working if their health allowed 2/2 www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

The proof that benefits pay more than a full-time job

Unemployed people on sickness benefits are to receive thousands of pounds more per year than some workers

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 10

It seems completely reasonable to me that someone who has been assessed by DWP as being unable to work due to disabilities/poor health & as facing significant health/disability related extra costs should be supported by the government to have an income around the level of a minimum wage salary 1/2

Headline from the Telegraph: "Benefits pay more than being in work", with a graph showing that someone on incapacity benefits with PIP would receive £2,500 over a full time living wage job and someone also receiving child DLA and carer benefits would receive £14,000 more that a full time living wage job

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 8

I've been working with a brilliant team at Camden Council, testing & learning how best to reach out to residents to foster voluntary engagement with employment support

If you want to find out more, sign up for this online event on 22 July at 9.30am www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/camden-emp...

Camden employment support test & learn

An online event about work in Camden to foster voluntary engagement with employment support among ill & disabled people on Universal Credit

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 8

This is nonsense. The impact assessment starts from an imaginary baseline incorporating reforms planned but never implemented by the previous government

In the real world, the cuts that remain in the Bill will push around 50,000 disabled people into poverty www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Welfare bill will now lift 50,000 out of poverty after U-turns, assessment finds

Revised bill passed after UK government rowed back on cuts will mean fewer rather than more people in relative poverty in 2030

www.theguardian.com

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 6

"the financial returns from well-targeted public spending are often far higher than our anaemic assumptions allow... A politics that always talks down the impact of spending ends up justifying stagnation" @neweconomics.bsky.social's @maxmosley.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Liz Truss is long gone – but her fiscal meltdown still dictates every step Labour makes | Max Mosley

A jittery No 10 now seeks the market’s approval for everything. The result? Cruel cuts and a fear of desperately needed public spending, says economist Max Mosley

www.theguardian.com

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Tom Pollard @pollardtom.bsky.social · Jul 3

“What’s going on in the benefits system is symptomatic of an ill society where there is poor health, poor public services & a lot of poverty”

I argue in this Chris Smyth piece that tackling the underlying causes is the only path to sustainable benefits savings www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Is reform of the welfare system still possible?

Our reporter considers the key questions after the government’s U-turn on disability benefits cuts

www.thetimes.com

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