United Kingdom welfare benefit reforms in 2013–2014: Roma between the pillory, the precipice and the slippery slope

Abstract

The 2013–2014 welfare benefits reform, which continues to undergo post-2015 election changes today, has introduced a dramatic reduction of welfare rights for European Union (EU) citizens. A particularly vulnerable and often discriminated group of these migrants are the Roma, who today come to the UK as economic migrants. This article presents preliminary findings from an on-going research study that investigates the impact these changes had on UK-resident EU/European Economic Area (EEA) Roma migrants and their families, in particular focusing on the Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance and Housing Benefit. The findings indicate that claiming these welfare benefits can be a daunting process for this migrant group, and refusal of a claim may raise further investigations about their right to reside. This, we observe, is the result of institutional anti-immigration agenda that trickles down from the political elite to administrative bodies assessing welfare benefits claims.

Keywords:

• Welfare benefits reform
• EU migration
• European Union citizenship
• Roma
• discrimination

Acknowledgements

The authors particularly wish to thank Roma Community Care (RCC) and the Roma Support Group (RSG) for their participation in this research as community partners. Both agencies have provided advice and assisted with the recruitment of research participants for this pilot study. The views expressed in this publication are authors’ own.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.