UK Social Policy: Evaluating the Beveridge Report and Modern Reforms

This essay provides an introduction to social policy in the UK, focusing on the principles outlined in the Beveridge Report and comparing them with other approaches such as consensus politics, the New Right and neo-liberalism, the Third Way approach, and coalition governments. It discusses the historical context of the Great Depression and the five giants (want, disease, idleness, squalor, and ignorance) that the Beveridge Report aimed to address. The essay also examines the impact of various social policies on healthcare services and the shift from state-led welfare to more market-oriented approaches, including the Conservatives' current policies. It concludes by emphasizing the Beveridge Report's significant influence on the foundation of the welfare state in the UK and its relevance to modern social policy debates. Desklib is a platform where students can find more solved assignments.

An Introduction to
Social Policy

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Main principles outlined in Beveridge........................................................................................3
Consensus politics.......................................................................................................................4
New Right and neo liberalism.....................................................................................................4
Third way approach.....................................................................................................................5
Coalition......................................................................................................................................6
Conservatives current policies....................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The concept of welfare state can be defined as a structure under which the government
provides various services like, health, education, employment, give money to the needy who are
aged and facing certain health issues. These services are free of cost. This essay covers the
principles of the welfare state which are stated in Beveridge report and comparing it with the
other approaches of the welfare state(McCormack, and Dewing, 2019). It also includes various
matters of social concern such as the great depression and wall street crash and data related to the
issue of poverty. The situation of Great depression was considered as a severe economic
downswing in the year 1929, where the downfall in the prices of the shares crashed the whole
economy. The prices of the goods and services took a instant hike. There was no employment
generation in the country and poverty is rising its head in UK.
MAIN BODY
Main principles outlined in Beveridge
The Beveridge report is a work of William Beveridge who was an economist and
suggested the ways through which the structure of the welfare state can be established. The
report has discussed about the five giants that was proven to be the major issue for the country,
they are, want (due to poverty), disease(due to lack of medical care), idleness (due to
unemployment), squalor (due to poor shelter), ignorance(due to lack of awareness regarding
education). There are three main principles are suggested in order to bring the country into the
state of a welfare state, they are as follows, limiting sectional interests that means all the sections
of the society is subjected to the welfare, making social insurance a part of the welfare policies,
attaining the social security policies and measures in terms of assuring cooperation among the
subjects and the state. The report also contains recommendations on providing medical facilities
and social security(Ihara, 2019). It states that various charity groups and organizations that are
indulged in social services must renders a support for the medical treatments to those who are
unable to pay to the hospitals. In furtherance to this, two acts were introduced in the country in
order to apply the recommendations given by the Beveridge report, they are the National
Insurance Act, 1946 and the National Assistance Act,1948. Another act was constituted in the
year 1946, that is the National Health Service Act. The act benefited that section of the society

that is unable to access the medical treatments and facilities. The government tried to commit
towards generating full employment in the country with the help of Keynesian policies which
gave the authority to the government in order to interfere in the economic issues of the country
by analysing the expenditure of the people living in the country.
Consensus politics
In 1945, labour party establishes the labour government. Between the period of 1945 to
1951, several measures were taken into consideration by the government which is also called the
welfare state. The wide range of the reforms are being formed in order to provide care and
support to the British nationals from their birth which will going to end with their death. This is a
remarkable change in the history of UK under the ambit of social reform. The government
formed after the war attained a huge level of reform in a short term period.
The impact of social policies on health care services are as follows, all the individuals
who are living in UK must get registered themselves to a family doctor in order to attain free
medical treatment for general illness, free medicines and tests, no formalities in terms of the
admission of the patients in the hospitals. But unfortunately, this policy was not able to last for a
longer period of time because it includes the concept of free services, maximum number of
treatments were made free in the policy(Humphrys, 2018). It affected the financial state of the
country, where the demand for the concerned services are increasing with the passage of time.
The social policy of conservative government between 1951 to 1964, sustained the
thought of labour welfare and state progression. The conservative government is not agreed with
the Beveridge report and its recommendations. It was contended that the concept of social
service was hiked in the report which supports the idea of re dispersion of wealth. Further it also
argued that in terms of National Health Services, it lacks the rightful distribution of the capital of
the country. The social policies in subsequent years that is between 1964 to 1979, states the
problems like, increase in the prices of the fuel and goods, poverty slabs, unemployment. It also
raised a question that whether the idea of taking care of the citizens from cradle to grave is
possible(Reid, and, et al., 2021).
New Right and neo liberalism
When the conservatives raise their authority and become a power, the social services
were distributed among the state in terms of social care, housing, health and education. The

concept of new right struck down the framework of the post war accord which involves
interference of the state in the economy of the country and regulations imposed in terms of
mixed economic system, hike in the tax slabs and increasing the power of trade organization. It
contended that instead of the above impositions, the state must not get much involved in the
economy of the country, reduce the tax rates by adopting neo liberal and free market approach in
the structure of the economy(Fisher, and Talmage, 2020). One of the best example of new right
policies is right to buy which was introduced in the year 1980. It has benefited the individual
houses that are sold to the eligible tenants on lease at considerable rates. But it lessen the
possibility for the tenants to opt for more affordable localities as it decreased the number of the
rented dwellings.
The difference between the New right policies and the Beveridge report are, the former
supports the view of neo liberalism and the latter carries social democratic view. Beveridge
report holds a collective opinion whereas the NRP holds anti- collective opinion. The report
includes maximum involvement of the state, but in the case of NRP, it supports less involvement
of the state.
Third way approach
The government of labour was elected in May 1997, the reform of welfare state is one of
the major task. The idea for achieving this is third way, this is said that the new and typical
approach is different from old and new rights. The third way is best summarized through
pragmatism and populism. This seems as neither old nor new, learning of right other than centre
or centre-left, have the roots in new poor law and mixed economy for welfare of
Beveridge(Caricati, 2019). This is a welfare of mixed economy, welfare of work policies will
hand not a handout and this will also joint up the government which will reconciliation of left
and right wing. The local authority in partnership will decide for services and how money will be
spent on the local level and support services. The third way is a new concept. The main
principles of this are:
 promotes environment
 not dismantling the welfare state
 on the basis of new contract between state reforming the welfare state
 for those who can work, this is the best route out of poverty

The goals are to end child poverty forever in a period of a 20 years. This will reduce by a
quarter by 2004 and half by 2010. this includes more starting points for young children, in this
everyone have equal chance to achieve their full potential. For improving health this will
improve health of overall population. For raising achievement this reduces the inequality, to give
everyone a chance for realise the full potential and build fair society and competitive economy.
This will deprive neighbourhood and spatial inequality within 10-20 years that no one will be
seriously disadvantaged by where they were living.
Coalition
The coalition is a political party jointly formed government with more than one political
party. The parties may decide to form coalition government if there is hung parliament where no
single party wins in clear majority in the house of commons in general election. Coalition
government in big society is a mix economy of welfare. This emphasis the role of citizens in
meet the own welfare needs(Bloomfield, 2020). This will encourage communities for delivering
wide range of local services. In this there were transfer of power from central to local
government takes place. This supports co-ops, mutuals, charities and social enterprises. The
policies was delivered at time of server cut in provision for public and the critics argued that the
big society will be covered for welfare cut.
In Beveridge welfare state the service delivery is mainly responsibility of the state. There
is expansion of public expenditure and equality in state. In Big society there is belief in the free
market and bottom up (this support for local people to take control on the services). The service
delivery and shift in responsibility of the state to individuals, families voluntary sector and to the
lesser extent. There is cut in the public expenditure and inequality in society. In the period of
2007 to 2010 there is on of the most significant financial crash since second world war. This
crisis cause banks to limit their new lending businesses, which cause the market price drop. The
recession and implication was a major issue in the election.
Conservatives current policies
This identifies the areas of policies before and after May 2015 general election and
reports the key area for social policy and notably social security and further advancement of
coalition’s policy. The policies are-

 For housing there are The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 which provide new
framework for homeless duties and new focus on prevention.
 The Government's record on social policy was formed in May 2015 which record high
rate of employment and this is an important strength on eve of pandemic.
 This increases the rate of self employment and non standard work.
 The participation in post-16 education was at historic high on the eve of pandemic.
 For higher education there were regulatory changes and the cap was removed on the
student number in 2015.
 The strength on the eve of covid-19 is that the UK's health services were funded from tax
and free at the time of delivery.
In the Autumn budget the universal credit taper will reduced by 8% and this will be bring
down to 55%. the national living wage is increased in next year by 6.6%. the government
announce the health and social care tax for fund health and social care. The spending falls short
of call for billions of investment in the medical work. In addition there are concerns for the NI
increase which will have higher impact on lower-paid(Béland, and. Et, al., 2022). The funding is
sufficient for future demand and other challenges. The last data shows that there is 112,000
vacancies in England in 2019/20 in social care sector.
CONCLUSION
This project concludes that the Beveridge Report which is officially known as Social
Insurance and Allied Services which is a government report published in Nov 1942. It is very
influential in foundation of welfare state in UK. It was basically drafted by Liberal economist
William Beveridge with his spouse Mathematician Janet Beveridge. The report mentions the
rewards for sacrifices of everyone. It proposed the wide reforms of the system of social welfare
for addressing the identification the 5 giants on roads of reconstruction
want,disease,ignorance,squalor and idleness. In the project it was compared to Third way which
is as political position for centrism which attempts the reconciliation of right wing and left wing
politics by advocacy the changing synthesis of platforms for economics. It was created to re-
evaluation of policies of politics within different centres to centre left progressive movements for
response in doubting the viability of economics. These were briefly explained as applied by the
labour and conservative party. Both the parties are dominant in UK politics and have different
ideologies and thinking regarding economy of the nation and follow different policies for

economic changes in the country. Labour party ideology is of social democracy democratic
socialism whereas conservative party follows 7 core principles of conservation.
REFERENCES
Béland, D., and. Et, al., 2022. Translating social policy ideas: The Beveridge report,
transnational diffusion, and post‐war welfare state development in Canada, Denmark,
and France. Social Policy & Administration, 56(2), pp.315-328.
Bloomfield, J., 2020. Progressive politics in a changing world: Challenging the fallacies of blue
labour. The Political Quarterly, 91(1), pp.89-97.
Caricati, L., 2019. Evidence of decreased system justification among extreme conservatives in
non-American samples. The Journal of Social Psychology, 159(6), pp.725-745.
Fisher, E.L. and Talmage, C.A., 2020. Perceived social capital and attitudes about liberals and
conservatives: A political psychology and community development examination of
politically polarized communities. Community Development, 51(3), pp.212-229.
Humphrys, E., 2018. How labour built neoliberalism: Australia’s accord, the labour movement
and the neoliberal project. In How Labour Built Neoliberalism. Brill.
Ihara, R.H., 2019. An overview of the acid rain debate: Politics, science, and the search for
consensus. The Acid Rain Debate, pp.3-34.
McCormack, B. and Dewing, J., 2019. International Community of Practice for Person-centred
Practice: position statement on person-centredness in health and social
care. International Practice Development Journal, 9(1).
Reid, F., and, et al., 2021. The World Ovarian Cancer Coalition Every Woman Study:
identifying challenges and opportunities to improve survival and quality of
life. International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer, 31(2).