Analysis and action on living standards
The Employment Rights Bill (ERB) currently making its way through parliament is a big deal for low-paid workers, who stand to gain the most from its changes. But it’s also a big deal for the country, with the row between business groups and unions over its impacts being testament to that.
Essentials take up more of households’ total spending than they have in the past, with spending on essentials for low-income households increasing the most. A more essentials-heavy spending basket also left poorer families facing faster price growth in recent years. Higher energy costs, coupled with rapid food inflation, have led to hardship for many. Energy arrears more than doubled in real terms between the end of 2019 and the end of 2024 (from £1.6 billion to £3.9 billion), while the share of working-age adults in very low food security rose from 3.9 per cent to 6.0 per cent between 2021-22 and 2023-24, with the rate for children climbing from 5.6 per cent to 9.4 per cent.
The Resolution Foundation is an independent think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low-to-middle incomes. We work across a wide range of economic and social policy areas, combining our core purpose with a commitment to analytical rigour.
This report examines how Britain’s electricity system must transform to achieve net zero emissions while keeping energy affordable for households. It provides a comprehensive assessment of the reforms needed to move from a demand-led electricity system to one that responds to renewable energy supply, focusing on the implications for household bills and consumer protection.
Our seventh annual Living Standards Outlook looks at how incomes have fared over the decade so far and what may lie ahead given current economic forecasts and the Government’s tax and benefit policies, as well as alternative scenarios. Crucially, we are able to look at potential outcomes for different income groups, ages and housing tenures.
The Resolution Foundation calculates the real Living Wage – a voluntary hourly pay rate that is based on what families need to get by. The current national rate is:
Resolution Ventures exists to back innovative start-ups seeking to change the world of work for the better and early-stage ventures seeking to improve the prospects of low-to-middle income Britain.
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Evaluating the economic importance of intergenerational exchanges including housing assistance, childcare and other unpaid care, and financial aid.
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