This overview report provides an assessment of social policy developments under the three Conservative Governments that were in power between May 2015 and the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.
The report examines developments in ten major areas of social policy, and identifies five key cross-cutting weaknesses and structural limitations of the welfare state and public services.
In carrying out this assessment, this report finds overwhelming evidence that social progress had already slowed down, stalled or gone into reverse prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report looks forward and provides solutions to what is needed as the country transitions into the recovery phase from COVID-19.
