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Zoe Charlesworth
Policy in Practice
The Living Standards Index for
London
Using data to inform work on poverty

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Content
• A brief background to Policy in Practice and how data
analytics informs policy
• The Living Standards Index for London
• How this translates to frontline operations
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Policy in Practice
A social policy organisation that uses data
analytics to:
• Inform an understanding of the depth and breadth of
poverty
• Provide evidence-based research on the impact of policy
• Formulate evidence-based policy solutions that feed into
national conversations
• Provision of operational tools:
- to allow those on low income make informed choices
- to support those working with households on low income: Local
authorities, Housing Associations, Charities, Welfare advice
organisations
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Housing Benefit / Council
Tax data
Benefits Modelling
Engine
Rich, detailed impact
assessment
Analytical Engine + Household datasets
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Policy in Practice
“Data is already used to detect fraud and chase arrears, so why
not use it to help citizens?”
Sue Nelson, Social Interest Group, formerly at Luton Borough Council
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The Living Standards Index for London
Living Standards Index for London
Supported by Trust for London
Policy in Practice is tracking changes in living standards
for almost one million Londoners on a monthly basis.
Using benefit administration data from 18 London councils
to track:
• Income
• employment
• Poverty
Currently being updated to show:
• Impacts relating to homelessness risk
• Differing poverty/need measures (including Social
Metrics Commission, Minimum Income Standard)
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The Living Standards Index for London
Living Standards Index for London
Supported by Trust for London
Some headline figures
• 15% of London’s low income households can’t pay the
bills week to week
• Biggest growth in cash-strapped families since 2016 was
in Sutton (79%), Camden (40%), Southwark (43%)
• The number of London families who can’t pay the bills is
expected to triple to 238,000 by 2021 if nothing changes
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The Living Standards Index for London
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The Living Standards Index for London
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The Living Standards Index
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The Living Standards Index
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How is this used?
A detailed analysis of poverty now, and in the future,
provides evidence to:
• Feed into national conversations on the implications of
welfare reform
• Inform pan-London Economic strategies
• Inform pan-London anti-poverty and support resources
• Provide an understanding of the implications at the
borough level
• Feed into borough economic and strategic planning
• Provision of informed anti-poverty and support
strategies at borough level
This is a free resource, visit:
http://policyinpractice.co.uk/lsi-london/12

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Using data at an operational level
The ability to be pro-active to changes in
welfare support
Crisis Prevention through intervention
• Identification
• Targeting
• Engagement
• Support
- Advice and information (preparation for change)
- Employment support
- Income maximisation
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Pro-actively using data to
prevent crisis
Example: targeting low-income self-employed households
PIP analysis shows that the self-employed will be on average
£50/week worse off under Universal Credit due to the Minimum
Income Floor – this is a significant drop in income and could
cause crisis.
Our longitudinal analysis shows that of those affected by the
minimum income floor 74% move to unemployment, 25% to employment
and less than 1% stay self-employed.
The Budget 2018 extended a 12 month grace period from the minimum
income floor to all self-employed moving to Universal Credit
under managed migration
This gives support agencies 12 months to contact these households
and provide the information they require in order to make
decisions to protect themselves from crisis.
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Identify households likely to be
affected
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Target those that will need
support
E.g. Households with children and those with low financial
resilience.
This reduces the 1,272 self-employed households to 317
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Pro-actively engage with these
households
Inform (and illustrate) income under Universal Credit
initially and after 12 months
In this case, a reduction of £316/month in household
income
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Consider options
Show the impact of remaining self-employed or leaving
self-employment to both unemployment and the equivalent
hours worked in employment:
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Outcome-focused
If relevant, provide employment support
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Knowing expected income – and
why
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Maximising income
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Using data at an operational level
London Borough of Greenwich
Provides the Welfare support team with the ability to
offer pro-active and holistic Support
Council-wide outcomes
• Targeted help reduces the number of evictions and
ultimately reduce homelessness across the borough.
• Strategic decisions based on evidence-based trends and
forecasts
• Support for additional funding (e.g. Flexible Support
Fund)
• Better use of expert resources such as Welfare Advisors
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Using data at an operational level
London Borough of Greenwich
Provides the Welfare support team with the ability to
offer pro-active and holistic Support
Outcome for residents
• Support through change and at times of crisis
• Targeted communications to inform and engage with those
affected by change
• Assistance with income maximisation and budgeting
(Identified up to £20 million per year of unclaimed
benefits)
• Provision of an understanding of probable income and how
this is calculated
• Provision of employment support (if relevant)
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Using data to support work on low-income and
poverty
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Next steps:
Living Standards Index
This is a free resource, visit:
http://policyinpractice.co.uk/lsi-london/
Start conversations with your local authority about using
data
Case studies: www.policyinpractice.co.uk
Feed frontline knowledge into our calculator development:
zoe@policyinpractice.co.uk
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www.policyinpractice.co.uk
Contact us
Zoe Charlesworth
zoe@policyinpractice.co.uk
07863 560677
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