Around 3.5 million people live in local authorities with no active provider of civil legal aid, according to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Scottish ministers should make it clear which manifesto promises are a priority as they face “tricky decisions” and a funding squeeze, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said.
The lure of better pay and thriving opportunities across the finance, tech and consulting sectors has done little to dampen enthusiasm among graduates from the top universities for a career in the...
Structural factors including the rise of AI and worsening youth mental health rather than just a cyclical downturn are likely to be driving a rise in the number of young people not in education,...
Policymakers have based decisions in response to UK household wealth on flawed pension data, with changes to methodologies and inconsistencies making it difficult to get a clear picture of...
The long-term impact of changes to universal credit due to take effect next week will see new claimants lose out by thousands of pounds, in a move likely to affect millions of people, according to...
Integrating working-age council tax support and universal credit would reduce complexity for claimants and ease the administrative burdens on councils, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has argued, as...
Despite substantial increases in spending, performance of some public services in Scotland and Wales continues to lag behind its pre-pandemic peak, according to new research.
In its analysis of the recent Scottish budget, the Institute of Fiscal Studies has warned that the government in Edinburgh will need to achieve unprecedented efficiency gains in order to deliver...
A decade-long plan to offer NHS support staff access to training so they can progress into registered roles has had the most success in wealthier areas, analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies...
Workers who lost their jobs and received unemployment benefits saw their spending decline by around 20% in the first few months, according to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Questions over who funds special educational needs and disabilities provision – and how much it will cost – remain unanswered despite the government outlining a series of reforms in the Budget, the...
The chancellor faces the prospect of a Budget “groundhog day” unless she takes bold action to shore up headroom against her fiscal rules, a leading think-tank has warned.
A new more generous benefit planned for jobseekers could save up to £3bn a year as part of a shake-up of the welfare system, according to analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The share of children receiving support for special educational needs and disabilities has doubled, driving a “dramatic and ongoing” increase in spending and leading to councils amassing an...
The government’s commitment to match NATO member’s plans for an increase in defence spending would fundamentally change the size and shape of the British state, analysis from the IFS has shown.
Indefinite protection for those facing cuts to their benefits under the government’s plans for welfare reform risks unfairness and perverse incentives, a leading think-tank has warned.
Inner London boroughs will be the biggest losers under plans to shake up the distribution of local government funding, with the worst hit facing real-terms cuts of up to 12% over the next three years...
The Office for Budget Responsibility should continue to produce two forecasts a year in order to safeguard fiscal transparency, a leading think-tank has said.
The ‘triple lock’ makes the state pension too expensive and unpredictable and ministers should replace it with a new target level and wider overhaul of the pensions system, a study has recommended.
The government’s planned benefits system overhaul could cut welfare spending by £11bn a year when fully implemented – but the health-related benefits bill will still far exceed pre-pandemic levels,...
