The age of austerity : the impact of welfare reform on people in the North East of England

According to Mark Carney the Governor of the Bank of England the United Kingdom economic outlook is getting brighter: "For the first time in a long time you don't have to be an optimist to see the glass is half full. The recovery has finally taken hold (Carney 2013)." Unemployment is falling; as have interest rates and GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth has been upgraded from 2.5 per cent to 2.8 per cent for the year 2014. Despite these "green shoots of recovery", the impact of government austerity measures and social policy decisions means the outlook for millions of citizens remains bleak. The Welfare Reform Act received Royal Assent on 8th March 2012 and legislates for the biggest change to the welfare system for over 60 years in the United Kingdom. The coalition government is looking to reassess all those on Incapacity Benefit (IB) with a new test, the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), which measures a person's entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)