Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and Nottingham Civic Exchange

Year of publication: 2018

This report forms part of a wider programme of work – Out of the Ordinary – focused on contemporary challenges of ordinary working families.

It is based on primary and secondary research undertaken by the RSA, including a survey of 2000 UK adults to understand economic insecurity. The analysis draws on the RSA’s wider programme of work, which aims to “encourage a shift in power to people, to places, and within public services, securing a fairer distribution of economic power in society”.

The report concludes with a number of policy recommendations to address economic insrecurity, focusing on three policy areas: health, housing, and welfare and labour markets.

The main conclusions around housing are that housing costs create economic insecurity, struggling to pay rent or make mortgage payments, but not qualifying for social housing. Challenges of housing affordability are concentrated among those on low and middle incomes and those in particular places and communities.

RSA recommend interventions such as recognition of resources and institutions that provide secure housing as key assets to a productive workforce, expansion and improvement of independent housing advice and integrated approaches by landlords and health providers to plan for adaptations to homes.

Content type: Economy

Tags: Report

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