This is a half-day seminar convened to consider four reports on the impact of welfare reform commissioned by the Scottish Parliament from Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Glasgow.

This is a unique opportunity to examine the evidence on the impact of the welfare reforms to date, and to look ahead to consider the impact of the Westminster Government’s newly announced welfare cuts.

Michael McMahon MSP, Convenor of the Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee, will be among the respondents to this research.

The event has been jointly organised by Policy Scotland and the Scottish Cities Knowledge Centre at the University of Glasgow, and the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University.

Monday 21st September

Programme

Chair: Prof Donald Houston, Scottish Cities Knowledge Centre, University of Glasgow

Welcome & Introductions

Dr Sharon Wright, Policy Scotland Welfare Reform Network, University of Glasgow

Presentation of reports commissioned by Scottish Parliament, from Sheffield Hallam University & University of Glasgow – Prof Christina Beatty & Prof Steve Fothergill (Sheffield Hallam)

• The Impact of Welfare Reform on Scotland (April 2013)
• The Local Impact of Welfare Reform (June 2014)
• The Cumulative Impact of Welfare Reform on Households in Scotland (Jan 2015)
• The Impact of Welfare Reform on the Scottish Labour Market (Sept 2015)

Responses

• Michael McMahon MSP, Convenor of Welfare Reform Committee, Scottish Parliament
• Lynn Williams, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
• Peter Kelly, Scottish Poverty Alliance

Questions, debate, discussion facilitated by Andy Milne, SURF Scotland’s Independent Regeneration Network