Get the latest advice, updates and resources on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic from the United Reformed Church.
Church Address:
Holmes Lane,
Rustington,
BN16 2PYRecent Posts
- Eight million people are excluded from the electoral register. What can we do about it? April 9, 2025 3:06 pm
The Electoral Commission estimates that eight million people are missing from the electoral register. The people missing are disproportionately those who are young, private renters and from minority ethnic communities. This is because the registration system was designed in a way which makes it easier for long-term residents, especially more affluent homeowners, to register. We could and should design a better system, without these biases. First, if you are not registered to vote, you should register (and encourage anyone else not on the register too!) There are local elections coming up on 1 May 2025. That means people have until Friday 11th April to register. You can register online or with a downloaded paper form. It takes about 5 minutes, and those registering will need to know their address and National Insurance number. Who are we missing? In 2000, the estimated gap between the number entitled to vote and registered to vote was between 0.5 and 1 million – a number that was viewed as scandalous at the time. Today, the gap is around 8 million, and it is disadvantaged groups who are excluded. 6 in 10 adults under 20 are not registered to vote 1 in 4 adults under 35 are not registered to vote (but 19 out of 20 over-65s are registered) 1 in 4 Black and Asian adults are not registered to vote 1 in 4 private renters are not registered to vote (but 19 out of 20 owner occupiers are registered) It is worth noting that each of the characteristics that are linked with being absent from the electoral roll – being a young adult, living in private rented accommodation and having a non-white ethnicity – are also associated with higher levels of poverty, food insecurity and destitution. These are the people who politics is serving badly, whose voice is often absent when policy is being discussed, and who are missing from the electoral rolls, therefore unable to vote for their preferred political representative. All too often, the first instinct is to assume the people absent from the roll just can’t be bothered. The problem with that hypothesis is you must believe people have got 8 to 16 times less bothered over the past 25 years, since under-registration has soared from 0.5-1million all the way to 8 million. You also must believe that multiple rounds of reforms, which have added complexity to registration procedures, especially for those moving house, have had no effect. Just one example: over the past ten years, the number of “attainers” – those aged 16 to 17 who will reach voting age during the lifetime of the electoral register – dropped from 380k registered in 2013 to 121K in 2023. This drop of two thirds had its sharpest fall in 2014, when the government of the time introduced a more complex individual registration scheme. Why does it matter? There is an obvious fairness issue. Why should we design registration systems that disadvantage the already disadvantaged? Why should some have an easier pathway to their vote than others? The view held by our Churches, that all are made equally in God’s image, is a key reason to support a democratic system. That reasoning is undermined the system denies or impedes the votes of some – especially the disadvantaged. What can we do? The UK’s electoral system is an outlier in many ways. Most liberal democracies have an automatic registration system. You don’t need to register to vote: the government uses the data it already has (benefits, pensions, local taxation, etc) to register you automatically. For those who think they may be missed off, there are often ways of checking and of simply registering when an election called. For countries where registration is not automatic, the process is often simpler and with more assistance. For example, unlike many other nations, there is currently no immediate way of checking if you are on the register. This can create uncertainty for voters as well as problems for registrars who try to prevent people’s registrations being duplicated. In January, the Welsh Senedd agreed to trial automatic voter registration for a number of local authorities. If the results follow international precedents, they will show improved registration rates. We look forward to the findings and, if successful, to other parts of the UK following suit. For too long, our politicians have focused on the miniscule problem of fraud by impersonation at polling stations while ignoring the growing problem of an increasingly biased and incomplete electoral roll. Please register to vote, encourage your friends and other members of your church to register to vote – but then demand we get a better registration system. Find out if you are in an area with local elections on 1 May and encourage your church congregation to register by midnight on Friday the 11th of April. For more info on the Local Elections and how your church can respond visit our Local Elections 2025 webpage: Source
- Introducing Alex April 4, 2025 4:31 pm
My name is Alex, and it is a privilege to introduce myself as the newest member of the Joint Public Issues Team, as I join the team as Campaigns and Church Engagement Officer. As I begin, a chant is stuck in my head: Just over a month ago, I was in church singing these words of hope with others. As the chant rose into something that felt like protest, I began to wonder… ‘Imagine’, I thought, ‘if church was always this political’. Similar wonderings have, over time, led me towards this new adventure. Soon after graduating with a music degree in 2013, I began to work in student chaplaincy and, later, trained for ministry in the United Reformed Church in Cambridge. After a theology doctorate, ministry took me back to Cambridge, where I have served for the past three years as a Special Category Minister, working with people who have felt alienated by church. One of the sources of that alienation was the strong impetus towards social action that the people I ministered alongside felt. As well as forming a new community together, ‘Solidarity Hub’, this clear desire to act for change led me to become involved with a community union and to further develop my interest and skills in social organising, advocacy and craftivism. Alongside music and ministry, I have worked as a freelance Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) facilitator and as a theologian, writer and tutor with a particular interest in intersectional and liberation theologies. I am currently spending many of my Sunday afternoons writing my third book, which is about the interactions between theology, disability, culture-war rhetoric and exclusion from public and economic life. I am excited about getting involved with JPIT’s vital work in helping churches to pray and work for peace and justice. I have a particular interest in the dehumanising ways in which economic injustice is often inextricably intertwined with poor access to health and social care, representation, and public life and spaces. This tangle of inequity is particularly noticeable at the moment in discussions around proposed changes to the benefits system. As a full-time wheelchair user, who – along with many of my friends and colleagues – relies on PIP to be able to live and to work, I am keen to respond well to disinformation and to counter the culture-war rhetoric that turns human beings into game pieces. I hope to continue to learn and dialogue more about this disempowering entanglement of economic, care-related and public oppressions with other church members, knowing that we are the hands, feet and mouths of Christ in God’s work for justice today. As I begin my role, I will particularly be focusing on the Constituency Action Network, Politics in the Pulpit, and the preparation for our 2025 conference on the 8th of November. These are all ways in which I believe that we can dialogue and work together to speak truth to power in the public square. I am also curious about the ways in which work for justice and peace can lead to just, safe, reciprocal and authentic connections between humans who hold a diverse range of beliefs, experiences and perspectives, in contrast to the binary and divisive rhetoric of culture wars. I look forward to working with churches, nationally and locally, to build new connections and to strengthen existing ones so that we can work for change together. Imagine if church was always this political. For some, that wondering might be worrying. For me, it is exciting. The fire in my belly which leads me to think, speak, act and pray politically is central to my faith. God’s desire to lead all people out into spacious places, Jesus’ preference for the poor and the liberating power of the Holy Spirit leads me to wholeheartedly believe that the power of love will rise above the love of power. One fine day. Source
- Disasters Emergency Committee launches Myanmar Earthquake Appeal April 3, 2025 10:34 am
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched an appeal to raise urgent funds to help people impacted by the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, which has killed more than 2,800 people, and injured thousands more. Countless roads and buildings across the country have been destroyed, including schools, hospitals, water supplies and other vital infrastructure. Network and power lines are down, and people are cut off from essential services. More than one million people have been displaced from their homes. Local responders have been searching through the rubble for survivors since the 7.7 magnitude earthquake – the most powerful in the country for decades – struck last Friday (28 March). DEC charities and their local partners are already working in Myanmar to support search and rescue efforts, and provide emergency shelter, food, water, medical care and basic supplies. Broadcast appeal films to raise funds to support DEC charities’ response will air on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky later today (3 April) following the evening news. BBC and commercial radio appeals will also be broadcast throughout the day. Every pound donated by the British public will be matched by the UK Government through its UK Aid Match scheme, up to the value of £5 million. Even before the earthquake, Myanmar was already facing a severe humanitarian crisis which had left a third of the population in need of humanitarian support. Now, the situation is catastrophic, and needs are continuing to skyrocket. Millions of people have been affected, with many left without access to safe shelter, food, clean water and medical care. In the worst impacted areas near Myanmar’s second largest city Mandalay, families are sleeping outside in fear of further aftershocks, and the death toll is expected to continue to rise over the coming days. The DEC will hold a virtual press conference today (3 April) at 11.10am where DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed will be joined by spokespeople and aid workers on the ground. The DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities at times of crisis overseas. All member charities are responding in Myanmar including British Red Cross, Save the Children and Plan International. Saleh Saeed said: “The devastation in Myanmar is heartbreaking, with thousands of people suddenly losing loved ones in the most shocking of ways. “Myanmar was already in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis. Now, the situation is ever more critical, with many impacted by this earthquake unable to access shelter, clean water and medical care. “Funds are urgently needed to help families access life-saving humanitarian aid following this catastrophe. DEC member charities are responding right now in Myanmar and can reach more people with your help. “We know that money is tight for many people here in the UK as the cost-of-living crisis continues, but if you can, please do donate to support the hundreds of thousands of people, children and families caught up in this deadly disaster.” Arif Noor, Country Director of CARE International in Myanmar, said: “Our emergency relief teams are witnessing complete devastation everywhere we go. People traumatised by the earthquake are sleeping on the streets, with no clean water or food to eat and nowhere to escape from the heat. They simply don’t know where to turn or where to find safety. “This catastrophe has brought already vulnerable communities to their knees. To meet this level of need will require a sustained and large-scale humanitarian effort. We call on the international community to step forward to support people in Myanmar. They cannot afford to wait.” Rajan Khosla, Country Director, Oxfam in Myanmar said:“Following the devastating earthquake, the immediate needs are overwhelming. People are in desperate need of food, clean water, shelter and medical care. Many families have lost everything. “Despite the challenges, aid is making its way to the people who need it the most. We are working closely with our partners to provide timely and effective aid. We urgently need more resources to scale up our response to provide immediate life-saving support and to help people rebuild their lives.” UK Minister for Development, Baroness Chapman, said: “The UK government is proud to support the Disasters Emergency Committee’s efforts to do more for people in desperate need in Myanmar. We will match public donations pound-for-pound up to £5 million, meaning your support will go even further. “UK support is already reaching hardest hit areas, supplying emergency items, including food, water and shelter. For people already enduring so much turmoil, this crisis has only brought more suffering and urgent need to Myanmar.” How to donate: Online: dec.org.uk Phone: 0330 123 0555 Text to give/SMS: for press releases: text SUPPORT to 70727 to donate £10. Other partners should use the specific text codes they have been provided with by the DEC. Donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office, or send a cheque by post to: DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA. Image: Christian Aid/Sai Aung Main AFP Getty. Source
- Two Synods raise tally of Bronze eco awards April 3, 2025 8:25 am
Southern and Thames North Synod’s efforts to tackle climate change have each gained a Bronze Eco Synod award from A Rocha UK. Southern is now the sixth across the URC to reach Bronze status and Thames North becomes the seventh. Ian Moore, Green Apostle for Southern who also serves as a trustee forA Rocha UK, explained some of the steps his synod took to gain the Bronze award: “We’ve done lots of work over the years, for example putting the synod’s financial investments with Epworth (a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on investing for both people and planet). We’ve updated our manse policy that puts the goal of energy performance certificates at C or better for all manses, and of course lots of local churches have carried out their own work.” One such church is Oxted URC which gained Silver Eco Church Award in January for taking steps such as launching a 60-step plan that people can take towards a more sustainable future which has been circulated widely within the church and its community. “What I see in the most engaged churches, like Oxted, is how caring for God’s creation has become a natural part of how the whole church lives,” continued Ian. “I love how enthusiastic people become, often as much about the smallest touches like Toilet Twinning as about the big projects like solar panels.” Currently 30% of local churches within Southern Synod have joined A Rocha UK’s Eco Church award scheme. Thames North Synod was praised by A Rocha UK for its work towards championing the environment – from annual Green Days which in 2024 had a nature focus, to a comprehensive environment policy which includes references to net zero, protecting and encouraging biodiversity, and engaging and supporting young people about the climate and nature crises, and an eco-fund to support local churches. Out of the synod’s 105 churches, 54 are registered with the scheme and 27 have received an award: 20 bronze and seven silver. Roo Stewart, URC Head of Public Issues, said: “The successes of both synods have undoubtedly been through the work of the Synod officers, local churches receiving Eco Church awards. Also, a run of brilliant Green Apostles like Alex Mabbs, Nadene Snyman, David Pickering, Ian Moore, Terry Hinks, Maggie Hindley and a vibrant Thames North Green Team. “This new award means that we now have seven synods within the URC that have received a Bronze Synod Award, and we are hoping that all of our synods will reach Bronze Award level very soon.” The National Synod of Scotland is part of Eco-Congregation, which operates differently. Youth Assembly and its Executive also received a commendation from A Rocha UK in 2022 in recognition of the leadership that it has shown in encouraging the whole church to act swiftly to develop how it cares for the environment. Congregations that would like to know more about greening their church or joining Eco Church (in England and Wales) or Eco-Congregation (in Scotland) can find out more information at urc.org.uk/greenerchurch. Source
- Response to the Spring Statement March 27, 2025 11:58 am
JPIT’s Paul Morrison responds to the Spring Statement 2025 Poverty and inequality in the UK are on track to increase. Rather than addressing these concerning trends, which cause so much harm to people’s lives, the measures announced in this Spring Statement will exacerbate them. The international outlook is more volatile than a few months ago, and the Statement confirmed the removal of money from the long-term work of international development, that can build peace and real security and instead reallocate it to warfighting capabilities. The Statement did include some welcome investments, especially in housing, but overall, it was not good news for those concerned about poverty or peace. Directly increasing poverty The government estimates that its changes to disability benefits will directly increase the number of people experiencing poverty by 250,000, including 50,000 children. Other analysis suggests that interactions with other benefits will further increase that number, and just as importantly, the changes will push many people already experiencing poverty further down. Almost 1 in 5 people receiving Universal Credit and disability benefits used a foodbank last month, with more than double that number regularly skipping meals to make ends meet. It is incontrovertible that people with a disability are much more likely to face poverty, hunger and deep hardship than the rest of society. The health element of Universal Credit is being halved for new claimants and cut more slowly for existing claimants. This benefit is for those living on a low income where someone has a condition that limits the amount of work they can do. Importantly many are in work but earning a low income. This will affect around 3 million families. Personal Independence Payments, the benefit that supports people with the additional costs of living with a disability, is being made more difficult to attain. Around 800,000 people, mainly on low incomes, will lose between £4,200 and £6,300 a year. The experience of church-based advice centres is that too many people who need PIP are not getting it, and that the scoring and assessment system is already harsh and sometimes arbitrary. These changes move things in the wrong direction. Disability and employment support The government is providing additional support to help people into work, which is welcome, however neither the Office of Budgetary Responsibility nor the government has produced any indication of what impact this will have on employment or poverty. “Get more people into work” makes for a popular and easy soundbite to soften the announcement of benefit cuts, but there is a huge body of evidence – including a recent analysis by Action for Children – to show that improving employment outcomes is slow, expensive and difficult. Defence and international development Church leaders have already responded with lament to the cutting of the international development budget to pay for increased defence spending. The Spring Statement made much of increased defence spending and arms exports being a source of economic growth. The aspiration to increase defence spending further to 3% of GDP featured highly, while the prior commitment to return the aid budget to 0.7% of GDP was absent. Again, we regret that our nation’s responsibilities to the world’s poorest communities appear to have been forgotten. Invest to bring about change The Spring Statement included additional investment in a number of areas of work: to reduce fraud in the tax system, to reduce benefit overpayments including fraud[i][SM1] , and to increase departmental efficiency. The Chancellor’s spending rules mean that spending on these investments is counted differently against borrowing from day-to-day government spending. It is to be welcomed that the Chancellor recognises that to achieve positive results, investment is often needed. Over the weekend, 35 senior faith leaders – including leaders from the denominations in JPIT – called for the government to invest in the UK’s children and be bold and ambitious when designing its imminent Child Poverty Strategy. Our children need to be invested in if they are to reach their potential, as do people with disabilities, as does the long-term work of building human security around the globe. Although trumpeted as being about delivering security, this Spring Statement did not deliver the investment that is needed to bring about positive change in these vital areas. [i] I would note that every pound spent on reducing tax fraud gets more than twice the return of a pound spent on tackling benefit fraud. p14 -21 of treasury policy costings Source
- Around the URC in seven days: 18-24 March 2025 March 24, 2025 7:30 am
A round up of news from around the United Reformed Church over the past seven days, 18-24 March 2025. East Midlands Synod The Revd Kevin Jones, a former army chaplain, has become the first minister inducted to the new South West Derbyshire Area Partnership. Ashbourne Road Church, a Methodist and URC LEP in Derby, hosted a special service to mark the occasion on 1 March. The service was presided over by the Revd Geoffrey Clarke, East Midlands Synod Moderator, and the Revd Tracey Harris, Derby Circuit Superintendent Minister. The church together with Alvaston, Derby Central, Mackworth and Repton URCs will make up the area partnership. National Synod of Wales Congregations belonging to St Gwrthwl’s Church in Wales and Penuel United Reformed Church in the village of Llanwrthwl have formed a new local ecumenical partnership (LEP). Established on 1 February, worshippers of both traditions will attend services in the URC-owned chapel. A new local covenant, based on the Covenant for Unity in Wales, was signed by members of both churches, commemorating the anniversary of the original covenant, which made 50 years ago. Thames North Synod Member of Thames North Synod’, led by the Revd Sujeeth Kumsar, Minister of Vine, Gants Hill and Barking URCs, represented the synod at the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB) Ministers’ Conference in Prague in February. Sujeeth said: “It was a meaningful time to learn about the wider church and mission and ministry. I had the privilege to meet many other ministers and representatives from other countries as well. Neil Thorogood led one session about the life of the URC in the UK. Sohail Ejaz and I thank God for the privilege and opportunity given to us to experience and learn from other churches.” Southern Synod London Road, Ewell and Tolworth United Reformed churches have celebrated the 80-year membership of a congregant. Gwyneth Smith was born in Epson in August 1930 where her father, the Revd W E Evans, was the Free Church Chaplain to five psychiatric hospitals in the area. Gwyneth was baptised as a baby at Epsom Congregational Church and on 4th February 1945 she was received into adult membership. “I met my husband Raymond in the church,” said Gwyneth. “We married there and brought up our son and daughter. I led junior church, ran the Brownie pack and later, when I retired from teaching, ran ‘Little Urchins’, our mothers and toddlers’ group. I was very enthusiastic about our drama group and sang in the choir. I also took evening services to stop them from being discontinued. Epsom and Ewell churches united in 2022 when I was still a serving Elder. Arthritis and mobility issues prevent me from actual church attendance, so I greatly appreciate being able to tune into the morning service from either Ewell or Tolworth. I can share in church meetings, join in the hymns and still belong. Thanks be to God.” The Revd Roger Jones, Minister of Tolworth and London Road, Ewell Churches said: “It’s great Gwyneth can still attends our streamed online services every week from the safety of her home and members of the congregation still enjoy the conversation with her online at the end of the service over coffee. We think our technology, like our worship, is for all ages.” North Western Residents with broken toasters, wobbly bikes or items that need patching up are being encouraged to visit a new repair cafe that is being opened at Clitheroe URC. The community initiative offers residents a place to bring everyday items, from electronics, mechanical devices, computers, clothing, and more—for repair by skilled volunteers. The cafe will run on the third Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm. The first repair café took place on 15 February, and a grand VIP opening took place a month later on 15 March featuring the Mayors of Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley, along with MP Jonathan Hinder. Source
- Faith leaders call for bold action on child poverty March 23, 2025 12:01 am
Senior Faith leaders from across the country are joining forces today (Sunday 23 March 2025) in an urgent call for the government to be ‘bold and ambitious’ in its forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy. The call comes in an open letter to the co-chairs of the Ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce, Bridget Philipson, Secretary of State for Education, and Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions The letter is signed by 35 senior faith leaders from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist traditions, including representatives of the Baptist Union, Methodist and United Reformed Churches, and the Church of Scotland. It was coordinated by the Joint Public Issues Team. Currently 4.3 million children – three in 10 children in the UK – are living in poverty, and without further action a further 400,000 are likely to be pulled into poverty by the end of the decade. The Prime Minister promised during the last election that his government would introduce an ambitious plan to lift ‘millions’ of children out of poverty. The letter says: “We write to you as faith leaders from communities across the UK, to encourage you to be bold and ambitious in your upcoming Child Poverty Strategy.” It goes on, “While we come from different faith traditions, we share a belief that working to end poverty should be a hallmark of any decent, compassionate society. We also believe that transformational change is possible. We are hopeful that the Child Poverty Strategy could be a turning point for the communities we serve, and we are ready to work in partnership with people of goodwill across society to ensure that every child has the start in life they deserve.” The letter highlights the findings from ‘Paying the Price’, a new report from Action for Children released this week, which sets out measures that could lift 1.2 million children out of poverty by 2030. These include action to reform and invest in a more effective social security system, and steps to boost social housing and improve opportunities for income from employment. The research found that the single most cost-effective step would be scrapping the two-child limit and benefit cap. Revd Helen Cameron, President of the Methodist Conference, said: “The levels of child poverty we are seeing in communities across the UK cannot be acceptable. With communities trying to pick up the pieces and support families who are struggling, it’s time for the government to step up too. We know it is possible to significantly reduce child poverty, and a social security system that enables families to afford the essentials will be a central pillar. The government must demonstrate that tackling poverty is a priority and make ambitious choices. We pray that the government’s strategy will rise to the challenges we face.” Louise, a 24-year-old from London, faced poverty in childhood before going into foster care from the age of 11. She continues to struggle financially as a care-leaver, particularly as a young, single mum to her four-year-old daughter, battling child care expenses and the high cost of living. On the launch of Action for Children’s new research, she said: “The impact of growing up in poverty is huge. It affected me physically, mentally and emotionally. Not eating enough food as a child affects your health, weight and concentration. You feel angry and confused. A child can’t understand why they’re excluded from school trips with their friends, or why they don’t have new clothes. You feel different. I felt like I was being punished. I didn’t understand we just didn’t have the money. “As a care leaver, breaking the cycle of poverty and finding financial independence can be overwhelming and feel impossible at times. There are often barriers you don’t know how to overcome on your own as a young adult without the family support and guidance that others may take for granted. “As a mum, I want the best for my daughter and to give her opportunities I didn’t have. It is motivation, but it also brings its own pressures. Even though I worked as much as I could, before she went to school, I was in my overdraft every month and relying on Universal Credit just to pay for childcare so I could keep my job. That isn’t right. “I think there is more support needed not just for young people leaving care, but also for families with young children on low incomes, to help people stay in work, care for their children and thrive.” Action for Children is inviting people to add their support to an open letter and write to their MP about the Child Poverty Strategy here: https://actionforchildren.uk/PayingThePrice-Faith Read the letter and list of signatories in full. Source
- Free tickets for Rejoice and Sing LIVE March 17, 2025 2:49 pm
The United Reformed Church (URC) is holding a hymn-filled service on 3 May to celebrate 35 years of its hymn book, Rejoice and Sing. Following on from the 50th anniversary service in April 2023, where 1,200 people gathered to celebrate the first 50 years of the URC, hundreds of people will gather at the Methodist Central Hall, Coventry, on May 3 to sing lots of hymns and to listen to those who helped create the hymn book in the late 1980s and early 1990s, sing a new hymn by Dominic Grant, with contributions from David Thompson, Stephen Orchard, Anne Sardeson, Roo Stewart, David Williams, David Jenkins, Brenda Stephenson and more. There will also be a special contribution from one of the URC’s best known hymn writers, Brian Wren. A panel discussion, chaired by the Editor of the URC’s magazine, Reform, Stephen Tomkins, will also be part of the service. A scratch choir, headed up by Roo Stewart, will also be created on the day, which includes an exhibition and the chance for lunch or a tea or coffee from the café at the venue. The hymns will be accompanied the hall’s organ, piano and the event worship band, led by David Williams. To reserve your free tickets, visit bit.ly/reform-live, scan the QR code or call 020 7691 9865. This is also the website to get directions to Methodist Central Hall, Coventry. Source
- Repeatedly taking the easy choice on welfare March 14, 2025 11:34 am
JPIT’s Paul Morrison responds to potential disability benefit cuts. In the November 2024 budget the Chancellor decided to keep the last government’s £3bn of disability benefit cuts which were pencilled in for the next three years. This was called a “difficult decision”. Over the past week, the government was busily spinning that because “the world has changed” there are to be more difficult choices in the March 2025 financial statement. The world may have changed, but the difficult choice offered is remarkably similar – additional reductions in the living standards of the disabled. This time with cuts of between £2Bn and £7Bn. From an uncertain economy to certain hunger via “a difficult decision” The UK economy has not been healthy for some time and is not recovering as hoped. However, it is the problem of a “changing world” and global economic uncertainty that the government says it is responding to. Specifically, the Trump administration’s aggressively erratic trade and foreign policies have shaken the world’s economic outlook. The Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) must predict the major variables in the economy, such as inflation, interest rates, and house prices, alongside non-monetary variables including the levels of sickness and unemployment out to 2030. In normal times is a herculean task of skill, luck and faith – and these aren’t normal times. Their best guess seems to be that the £10Bn planned room in the government budget in 2030 has gone – for context this is against a planned overall budget in excess of £1,420Bn[1]. Widespread uncertainty leads to negative but uncertain economic forecasts, which leads to “difficult choices”, which in turn leads to the certainty of cuts to the overall welfare budget, which will definitely result in some disabled people having lower incomes. As disabled people already have high rates of poverty, foodbank use and destitution, it is near certain that the proposed cuts will lead to more hunger. In the UK the number of people who are food insecure – or hungry – was at the last count 7.2m. You are right if you think it is profoundly unjust that the costs of the increased risks in the world are borne not by those who are gaining the most, or even those who actively profit from these risks, but by the weakest in our society and across the globe. A just political economy[2] could and should distribute these risks more equitably. Christians have an unashamed “preferential option for the poor”, but the series of beliefs and choices described above show a deeply embedded preferential option for the rich. Is it more difficult to take from the weak or the powerful? The unnamed government source briefed the BBC that further cuts to disability benefit were “politically painful”. Maybe. Rising global uncertainly has a price-tag and there is no politically painless way of dealing with it. However, placing the cost at the feet of the least well off, whose friends don’t own newspapers, who don’t provide enormous funds to think-tanks or political parties and are easily dismissed as “taking the mickey” looks a lot like the least painful option. Sensitive to cash, numb to people Indeed, it seems that our economy and institutions are set up in a way designed to numb us to the “painful decision” of placing burdens on the poorest. For example, spending implications of policy decisions are rigorously and publicly checked by the independent OBR before they ever see the light of day. They are then tested against “fiscal rules” which are designed to give the financial markets confidence in the management of the economy. The OBR was created because it was believed that without independent checks, government often chose to solve financial problems with “optimistic” predictions about the positive impacts of their policies. Today such “optimistic” predictions are looked at by the OBR, and we get to see their opinion. Typically cuts to social security are sold with the line “we will spend less money on supporting the poorest and we will then get less poverty”. Universal Credit, benefit sanctions and cuts to the main benefit supporting the sick and disabled were all sold on this premise. Usually, a story is told that cuts to benefits will “incentivise” work and thus reduce poverty, or that less people will need expensive benefit payments because of the introduction of cheap support programmes or by even cheaper threats and punishments. You won’t be surprised that none of these ways of taking money from the poorest have reduced poverty – indeed most didn’t even make their predicted financial savings, because the needs that went unmet reappeared as expensive problems elsewhere in government budgets. How could this happen? To quote a sermon by John Wesley, “one part of the world does not know what the other suffers. Many of them do not know, because they do not care to know: they keep out of the way of knowing it”. Take money from the poorest and they will become less poor? Perhaps the next time disability benefits are cut, government spokespeople will be up-front and say “we are cutting the budgets of disabled people, with the obvious consequences of increased poverty, hunger and worsening health and life chances”. However, I doubt it. What I expect is some version of the magical story which goes “take money away from the poorest and they will become less poor”. While there are undoubtedly some reforms that could have a positive impact, and there are definitely changes that could cut £2-7Bn, reforms that do both seem less plausible. This time such claims might be justified – maybe – but wouldn’t it be fantastic if before such claims could be made, the government had to run their “optimistic” predictions past an independent body, an equivalent of the OBR? Wouldn’t it be even better if that body included both the learned experience of policy professionals, social scientists and mathematical modellers, alongside people with lived experience of poverty, who are experts in how polices actually impact on people’s day to day […]
- Sustainable farming initiative suddenly suspended March 13, 2025 12:00 pm
In a guest blog, Sarah Hulme reports on the repercussions of a recent government decision to halt funding for sustainability initiatives on farms Without any warning, on 11 March, the government pulled the application process for a key environmental funding stream for farmers, saying the budget has been spent[1]. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) was designed to help farmers transition towards sustainable and nature-friendly farming practices – growing food in ways that protect nature and reduce the impact caused by intensive farming – as a key part of the drive towards net zero. These changes require costly interventions and, with no instant fix, these need investment and security for the longer term if farmers are to make this transition. It had been a central strand of the post-Brexit farming payments system. Uncertainty was already placing a large strain on the agricultural industry, with forward planning and investment hard to make as it felt that government decisions kept shifting the goalposts.[2] Half the farm land in England now falls outside any kind of current scheme that rewards biodiversity or climate change mitigation, at a time where the State of Nature Report has found that the UK is ”one of the most nature depleted countries on earth.”[3] The Farmers Weekly describes the suspension of the scheme as “the cruellest betrayal”[4] for farmers already attempting to plan longer term whilst adapting to tax changes, factor in potential changes due to a land use consultation, and still facing accelerating cuts in ‘delinked payments’, another previously major funding scheme[5] – leaving many with a cash flow crisis. George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association, says, “DEFRA’s decision to halt SFI represents failure on many levels… leading to many in the farming community feeling betrayed. The bigger failure we must also address for the long term is that the returns to primary producers from the marketplace do not provide a sustainable return for the risk, investment and effort employed by farmers and growers delivering great products alongside wider environmental services.”[6] Rev David Newlove, Methodist Superintendent Minister in North Cumbria Circuit and an agricultural chaplain, commented, “This leaves people high and dry. Farmers were encouraged under the new government to dream of better ways of farming, but now this appears not valued. The government are sleep walking us into a food crisis, leaving those on the margins unable to afford fresh food, forcing them to eat a diet of highly processed food, with associated health implications.” Bridget Down, a trustee of the Arthur Rank Centre, said, “As a farmer’s wife today I see the SFI application due to be sent later this week lying dormant on the desk. The plans are redundant, the dreams we were asked to dream lay torn. But in the ground the seed hasn’t been sown, the calves not bought! So what are we meant to do for the coming year to compensate the loss? My main concern is the upset on already vulnerable bank accounts, minds and hope… a devastating day! Food security will impact those living on the edge of destitution hardest.” How does this latest news impact anyone not directly connected with agriculture? Why should we care? Other than the obvious issues of injustice, what might the knock-on effects be for the wider population? At the very least, we should be praying for those currently reeling from this latest announcement, for their health and well-being. Checking in with those we are connected with in our rural communities and showing our concern. As Christians who care about the flourishing of all creation, this needs our attention. Tom Bradshaw, the Chair of the National Farmers’ Union, has observed, “The awful dilemma now faced by many farmers is whether to turn their backs on environmental work and just farm as hard as they can to survive. This is a loss to both farming and the environment and cannot be what was intended.” Sarah Hulme is the Methodist Rural Mission & Ministry Officer [1] An update on the Sustainable Farming Incentive – Farming [2] NFU responds to sudden closure of SFI24 applications – NFUonline [3] State of Nature 2023 – report on the UK’s current biodiversity [4] ‘Cruellest betrayal’ as Defra halts new SFI applications – Farmers Weekly [5] Further information announced on delinked payments in 2025 | AHDB [6] TFA Media Release MR 25/07 – TFA Reaction: DEFRA’s Decision to Halt SFI Represents Failure on Many Levels Source
-
Recent Posts