when did the welfare state began in britain
Welfare state in the United Kingdom The Liberal Party launched the welfare state in Britain with a series of major Liberal welfare reforms in 1906â€“1914.[4] The reforms were greatly extended over the next forty years.[4]
Welfare Reform Act 2012 Among the provisions of the Act are changes to housing benefit which came into force on 1 April 2013. These changes include an "under-occupancy penalty" which reduces the amount of benefit paid to claimants if they are deemed to have too much living space in the property they are renting.[3][4] Although the Act does not introduce any new direct taxes, this penalty has been characterised by the Labour Party and some in the media as the "Bedroom Tax", attempting to link it with the public debate about the "Poll Tax" in the 1990s.[5] Advocating the Act, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (George Osborne) stated that the changes would reduce welfare dependency and support working families.[6]