Net zero Splitting the bill How can Government help families with high energy bills? 16 October 2025 by Jonathan Marshall This note looks at the factors behind stubbornly high energy bills and how ministers could act to ease pressure on households. It considers how change can be enacted to work for vulnerable families and promote the net zero transition, while remaining fiscally sustainable. READ MORE
Fiscal policy· Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Trend setters What is the OBR’s forecast for trend productivity growth, and why it matters so much for the Budget 14 October 2025 by Greg Thwaites and Elliott Christensen The Budget in November is likely to reveal a significant deterioration in the outlook for the public finances, requiring the Government to raise taxes in response. A key reason for this is what the Office for Budget Responsibility will assume about how fast the economy can sustainably grow. It has been eight years since this … Continued READ MORE
Wealth & assets Before the fall The distribution of household wealth in Britain and the impact on families 8 October 2025 by Molly Broome and Ricky Kanabar This report is the fourth in our series of ‘audits’ of households’ wealth, offering the most comprehensive assessment of wealth inequality in Britain. It comes against a backdrop of an unprecedented mix of economic shocks and policy interventions during the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath which have had profound effects on family finances. This report … Continued READ MORE
Housing Housing Outlook Q3 2025 27 September 2025 by Camron Aref-Adib and Imogen Stone Welcome to our third Housing Outlook of 2025. [1] This quarter, we show that delivering 1.5 million new homes by the end of Parliament would be a real step-change in housebuilding in England, but not game-changing when it comes to rebalancing housing supply and demand. Since 2022, housing stock relative to population has been on … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances· Tax Call of duties Revenue and reform for Autumn Budget 2025 23 September 2025 by Adam Corlett Ahead of the Budget, this report considers the options for the Government to respond decisively to a deterioration in the public finances while also making the tax system fairer and more efficient. READ MORE
Living standards The Resolution Foundation at 20 Two decades of analysis, policy and change 18 September 2025 by Ruth Curtice In this anniversary review, we look back at how living standards have evolved since the Foundation was set up, indulge in a little nostalgia regarding the first two decades of our own institutional life, and – more importantly – consider what the opportunities and challenges facing the UK mean for our future work. As we … Continued READ MORE
Macroeconomic policy The Macroeconomic Policy Outlook: Q3 2025 12 September 2025 by James Smith UK Government borrowing costs have once again been in the headlines. Recent moves have, however, been overblown: since benchmark 10-year yields peaked at post-financial-crisis highs of 4.9 per cent in January, they have fallen back. [1] And while it’s true that 30-year yields have reached their highest level since 1998, such long horizons are less … Continued READ MORE
Unsung Britain· Household debt· Wealth & assets Money on my mind Understanding the savings, debt and financial resilience of low-to-middle income families 10 September 2025 by Felicia Odamtten and Simon Pittaway This report finds falling consumer debt and modest improvements in saving, but rising arrears on priority bills like energy and Council Tax. It highlights the growing risks families face, and the urgent need for stronger support to build financial resilience. READ MORE
Policy landscape 2025 2 September 2025 by Ruth Curtice and Anand Menon As Parliament returns from its summer recess, the Resolution Foundation and UK in a Changing Europe have partnered to produce the Policy Landscape 2025 report – a series of evidence-led, research-based assessments of the main policy challenges facing the UK, and how politicians could respond. The government continues to face a series of acute policy challenges, with concerns … Continued READ MORE
Labour Market Outlook· Labour market Labour Market Outlook Q3 2025 26 August 2025 by Greg Thwaites and Nye Cominetti and Hannah Slaughter Employment and the employment rate are falling according to Resolution Foundation estimates, but not according to the official statistics based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The official data also suggests that unemployment has risen by 0.5 percentage points over the past year, and that the labour market is loosening rapidly – but is the … Continued READ MORE
Net zero· Housing No country for cold homes Key considerations for the Warm Homes Plan 7 August 2025 by Zachary Leather and Jonathan Marshall The Government’s imminent Warm Homes Plan aims to overhaul England’s housing stock so homes are cheaper and cleaner to keep warm. This note sets out how it can best work to improve living standards for lower income households. READ MORE
Living standards· Labour market Opening doors How to incentivise employers to create more opportunities for disabled workers 24 July 2025 by Ben Baumberg Geiger and Louise Murphy Improving employment outcomes for disabled people is essential not just for raising living standards, but also for supporting economic growth. To increase the employment of disabled people, the report proposes a new employer-focused strategy built on four principles: reimbursement, reporting, reintegration and recruitment. READ MORE
Unsung Britain· Welfare Don’t forget about us How disabilities and caring responsibilities affect low-to-middle income Britain 17 July 2025 by Hannah Slaughter and Imogen Stone This briefing note combines quantitative data with insights from focus groups to explore how disabilities and caring responsibilities affect these families’ lives and living standards. READ MORE
Housing Housing Outlook Q2 2025 11 July 2025 by Camron Aref-Adib Housing is fundamental to living standards. It’s no surprise that a Government committed to raising living standards has put housing at the heart of its agenda – most notably through its ambition to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of this Parliament. And it is most families’ largest expense, meaning that disposable incomes … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Labour market Low Pay Britain 2025 Where next for the Government’s employment reforms? 3 July 2025 by Nye Cominetti and Charlie McCurdy This year’s Low Pay Britain report – the 15th in an annual series taking stock of low-paid work in the UK –takes on three important questions as the ERB heads towards becoming law. First, we look at the big picture: what does the evidence say about the ERB’s likely economic impacts? Second, with much of the detail missing from the ERB’s provisions relating to hours insecurity, we explore what those details should be. Finally, we look ahead to the Government’s planned reforms to employment status, and ask how progress can be made on ambitions to reduce bogus self-employment. READ MORE
Health and disability· Welfare The good, the bad and the messy Responding to the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation 30 June 2025 by Louise Murphy This week marks an important moment for this Government’s welfare reform plans: as Parliament prepares to vote on major legislation to make cuts to PIP and UC-Health, the consultation on longer-term changes to the benefits system, set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, also closes. There are some good proposals included in the … Continued READ MORE
Unsung Britain· Living standards· Prices & consumption The bare necessities Unpacking the rising cost of essentials for low-to-middle income Britain 30 June 2025 by Simon Pittaway and Lalitha Try This briefing note examines how prices have changed over time in three key areas of spending: energy, food and transport. We also propose policy changes that can make essential costs more affordable for low-to-middle income households, and improve their incomes. READ MORE
Living standards· Incomes The Living Standards Outlook 2025 26 June 2025 by Adam Corlett This is our seventh annual Living Standards Outlook. It looks at how incomes have fared over the decade so far and what may lie ahead for different groups, given current economic forecasts and the Government’s tax and benefit policies READ MORE
Net zero· Time use Flex appeal How to reform electricity pricing for a cleaner and cheaper energy system 24 June 2025 by Zachary Leather and Jonathan Marshall Britain needs to transform its electricity system for net zero, shifting from fixed prices to time-and-location varying tariffs. This could save £18bn annually by 2040, but it requires careful design to protect vulnerable households while capturing efficiency gains. READ MORE
Labour market· Cities and regions The power of place The role of place in driving regional pay inequalities 23 June 2025 by Richmond Egyei and Emily Fry and Tasos Kitsos and Dalila Ribaudo and Greg Thwaites and Enrico Vanino Tracking English early-career workers using the Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset, we show one-third of regional wage gaps arise from place, not people. Identical full-time workers earn about £1,300 (5 per cent) more by moving from Dudley to Harrogate. READ MORE
Ventures Impact & Learning Report 2024 16 June 2025 by Nicholas Andreou and Louise Marston and Aish Moothan Over the past four years, the Workertech Partnership has backed ambitious founders building solutions to improve pay, power, progression and wellbeing for people in low-paid and insecure work. We’ve made 16 investments supporting over 350,000 workers to date, and today, we’re publishing our 2024 Impact Report. It reflects on what we’ve achieved, what we’ve learned, … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Public spending A healthy State? Putting the 2025 Spending Review into context 12 June 2025 by Camron Aref-Adib and Mike Brewer and Tom Clark and Alex Clegg and Adam Corlett and Ruth Curtice and Emily Fry and Zachary Leather and Charlie McCurdy and Felicia Odamtten and Simon Pittaway and James Smith and Greg Thwaites Yesterday saw the Chancellor reveal the results of the first ‘zero-based’ review since 2008, the first stand-alone Spending Review since 2019, and the first three-year plan since 2021. It was the Government’s chance to say what its priorities are after painful announcements on higher taxes and borrowing, and then welfare cuts, at the Autumn Budget … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events Mission impossible? Five things to look out for at next week’s pivotal Spending Review 4 June 2025 by Ruth Curtice and James Smith After a shaky start on the economy, Ministers have been happy to emphasise three trade agreements and some better-than-expected growth in recent weeks. They will hope the Spending Review (SR), on 11 June, can be a chance to build (build, build) on this, and to flesh out more concrete plans on the Government’s other ‘missions’. … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Welfare Renew and improve Setting up the Household Support Fund for the future 22 May 2025 by Alex Clegg and Ruth Patrick and Jed Meers and Mike Brewer and Uisce Jordan and Millie Light and Rhiannon Simms and Hayley Bennett and Beth Watts-Cobbe and Joe Pardoe This briefing note, part of the Safety Nets project, assesses how the Household Support Fund could be improved in a longer-term settlement, through analysis of administrative data and interviews with local authorities and recipients of the scheme. READ MORE
Universal Credit· Living standards· Welfare No workaround Assessing the impact of the Spring 2025 disability and incapacity benefit reforms on employment 20 May 2025 by Louise Murphy and Greg Thwaites In March, the Government released its Pathways to Work Green Paper, setting out a package of welfare reforms that amounted to a net reduction in spending of £4.8 billion in 2029-30. On the Government’s own figures, 3.2 million families will lose out, 250,000 people will fall into poverty, and 700,000 families will fall further below the poverty line. These benefit cuts were accompanied by a significant increase in employment support costing a cumulative £1.9 billion between 2026-27 and 2029-30 but with over half of that not coming until the final year. READ MORE
