Social Reform

• many unregulated industries
• Not all jobs had fixed hours (dock workers)
• Labourous work could not be carried out passed 40 (coal backers)
• Lived in cramped conditions with poor sanitation
• Poverty was blamed upon the poor themselves

Charles Booth

• found underestimated reports
• 30% of London lived below the 'poverty line'
• 1% were poor due to crime or by not working

Seebohm Rowntree

• found poverty was caused by old age, illness etc
• 27% of York lived below the 'poverty line'
•  believed the government should help the poor

Due to: 

• increased reports on poverty from the Salvation Army
• around 69% of the popultaion could not fight in the Boer war (too short/ unfit etc)
• to have a better workforce to compete with Germany
• Lloyd George- old age pension,Churchill- joined Liberal government in 1906 due to reforms
• feared Labour would take the vote

• Children: free school meals/ free medical checks/ protection
• Elderly: old age pension (for over 70s)
• Unemployed: could sign up to find out about work
• National Insurence Act: sick pay (paid 4d for 26 weeks pay)
                                    unemployment benefit (paid 2.5d per week for 7 shillings a week-15 weeks only)