The Future of the Welfare State
Sally Tomlinson, Lisa Mckenzie, Chris Goulden, Stephen Davies & Sam Bowman

• Wednesday 15 June 2016, 7.40PM to 8:30pm
• Free admission
  Booking required - theyorkunion@gmail.com
  Book tickets
• Ron Cooke Hub, University of York (map|getting to campus)
• Wheelchair accessible

Event details

Join the York Union for a debate on the future of the Welfare State. Together, state-funded social security, education and healthcare provide the foundations for the welfare state. But the question is: how long does it have left in its current condition, and what is it likely to look like in the future?

The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has declared it his aim to transform Britain into a low tax, low welfare, high wage nation. After raising the minimum wage for those over the age of 25 and adopting the Labour Party manifesto pledge of ensuring 3 million more apprenticeships, does this signal the emergence of a Conservative Party that is committed to short term pain, long term gain for the benefit of all?

The Department for Education claims to be rolling out one of the most ambitious educational policy reform packages in the world. But what is this going to mean for Britain’s children?

The Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt has promised major changes to the National Health Service.  With an aging population, greater reliance on expensive medication, more childhood obesity than in almost any other European nation and planned cuts to social services, will the National Health Service be able to cope?

Here to discuss these questions and more, the York Union presents:

Sally Tomlinson, a Professor of Education at the University of Oxford and the author of Education in a Post-Welfare Society.

Lisa Mckenzie, a Research Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science contributor to Social Class in the 21st Century.

Chris Goulden, Head of Policy and Research at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Stephen Davies, Head of Education at the Institute for Economic Affairs, and Co-editor of The Dictionary of Conservative and Libertarian Thought.

Sam Bowman, Executive Director of the Adam Smith Institute.

The York Union

The York Union, founded in 2013, is a student-run organisation that hosts engaging talks, interviews and debates contributing to the intellectual life of the University of York and the surrounding area. Find out more at their website.