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
Incomes The Resolution Foundation at 20 Two decades of analysis, policy and change 18 September 2025 by Ruth Curtice and Resolution Foundation 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. 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. READ MORE
Savings & debt· Wealth· Unsung Britain 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. READ MORE
Labour Market Outlook· Work 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 official data right about this? READ MORE
Housing· Net zero 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
Incomes· Health and disability· Work 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
Health and disability· Social security· Unsung Britain 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
Labour market enforcement· Work Low Pay Britain 2025 Where next for the Government’s employment reforms? 3 July 2025 by Nye Cominetti and Charlie McCurdy 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. READ MORE
Incomes· Health and disability· Social security 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. READ MORE
Incomes· Prices & consumption· Unsung Britain 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
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 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
Work· 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
Technology· 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 finances 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· Public services· Public finances 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
Incomes· Public services· Social security 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
Incomes· Health and disability· Social security 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. READ MORE
Inequality & poverty· Social security Limited ambition? An assessment of the rumoured options for easing the two-child limit 12 May 2025 by Alex Clegg and Adam Corlett Abolishing the two-child limit would be the most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty; if it is not scrapped, we project that 4.8 million children (34 per cent) will be in poverty by 2029-30, including half of all children in large families. READ MORE
Public services· Public finances· Investment Capital gains Public investment priorities for the 2025 Spending Review 29 April 2025 by Zachary Leather and Felicia Odamtten and Cara Pacitti and James Smith This report assesses the UK’s public investment challenges ahead of the 2025 Spending Review, highlighting legacy weaknesses in social infrastructure spending and setting out how targeted investment can boost growth and raise living standards. READ MORE
Social security· Savings & debt Saving penalties Reforming the capital rules in Universal Credit 24 April 2025 by Molly Broome and Alex Clegg and Ed Pybus Means-tested benefits in Britain are built on the principle that individuals with significant financial resources should use those before turning to the state for help. That’s why wealth – as well as income – is assessed when determining eligibility and entitlement levels for means-tested support. But while income means-testing has been widely studied and debated, … Continued READ MORE
Growth· Trade Trump Tariff turmoil The impact of higher US tariffs and the risk of a global recession 14 April 2025 by James Smith and Emily Fry and Greg Thwaites President Trump’s tariff announcements have taken a wrecking ball to the global system of international trade, pushing US tariff rates back to early 20th century levels. Following the suspension of ‘reciprocal’ tariffs, the UK’s exposure to automotive and possible “major” pharmaceutical tariffs, means we are set to be affected by more than many other countries, with the notable exception of China. READ MORE
