Judging the Gap: budget day comment - One Society Media Release

Submitted by Kathryn Busby on 24 March 2010

One Society Media Release – 24 March 2010

One Society is a new campaign, set up in association with The Equality Trust, to highlight the negative effects of income inequality, showcase research and policy solutions, and bring together people and organisations in support of a more equal society.

Judging the gap

Awaiting the Chancellor's Budget statement later today, One Society - the campaign promoting policy solutions to the entrenched gap between rich and poor in the UK - is calling for this to be the last Budget that that does not report on what effect its measures will have on income inequality.

Malcolm Clark, campaign director of One Society, said:

"The Treasury is behind the times.  This year we have had two heavyweight reports (the National Equality Panel and the Marmot Review) both focusing on the scale that inequality affects the quality of our lives, the health of our economy and the state of the communities that we live in."

"Only last night, the Equality Bill - with its duty for public bodies to regard the socio-economic impact of decisions they take - passed its Third Reading in the House of Lords."

"All the evidence points us towards the answer that reducing inequality matters, and should not solely be confined just to helping those at the bottom while those at the top are left to accrue ever-larger salaries and wealth." 

"Inequality could be further entrenched by decisions taken by the Chancellor today, and those in any post-election Budget in a few months time.  Will the costs of recovery be borne by those who gained least in the period before the economic crisis, or by those who gained most, and are in the strongest position to bear them?  What will the impact be on the gini co-efficient or any other recognised measure of the gap between rich and poor.  This is what we want to know from the Budget. That is the information we want this time ... and for all Budget statements in the future."

Media Contacts:

Malcolm Clark, campaign director of One Society, can be contacted on (t) 020 7922 7921 (m) 07733322148, by email malcolm@onesociety.org.uk or via Twitter @One_Society  www.onesociety.org.uk

One Society will be releasing a special Budget analysis this afternoon, co-written with financial journalist Greg Ford.

Notes to editors:

1. One Society is a new campaign, set up in association with The Equality Trust, to highlight the negative effects of income inequality, showcase research and policy solutions, and bring together people and organisations in support of a more equal society. www.onesociety.org.uk

2. One Society believes that a larger divide, in wealth and power, between those at the very top and the rest of society is damaging to national well being. More equal societies work better for everyone; not just those at the bottom but right the way up: we all benefit.

3. Demos has published three One Society pamphlets making a case for why addressing inequality is important for the three main political parties and setting out a series of policy recommendations. A one page summary is available at http://www.onesociety.org.uk/info/publications.htm  Copies of the reports
'Everyday Equality', 'Wealth of Opportunity' and 'Society of Equals' are available from
www.demos.co.uk/publications

4. View the Parliamentary Candidates who have signed up to the 'Equality Pledge'
http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/pledge/signatories

5. Compelling evidence shows that large income inequalities within societies damage the social fabricand quality of life for everyone. The evidence is published in Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett's book The Spirit Level: why equality is better for everyone.