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Liberal Reforms (Why were they introduced? (In 1900, there was a '…
Liberal Reforms
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Reforms for the Kiddies
After the success of the Liberals in the 1906 General Election, the so-called 'New Liberals' (Churchill and Lloyd George) wanted to begin to introduce legislation to help the most vulnerable.
The Provision of Free School Meals was introduced in 1906 as proposed by a Labour MP. This act permitted local councils to provide free school meals. By 1914, 158,000 children were receiving them.
However, the Act was non-prescriptive and only permissive , meaning that local councils could also refuse to provide school meals if they wanted to. They might do this because they would have to raise local rates, which was unpopular. Around half of councils didn't actually provide them.
Notification of Births Act, 1907 meant that parents had to inform their local Medical Officer for Health about a new baby so that a trained health professional could visit the mother at home and educate her on protecting the baby's health. This was in response to the infant mortality rate, with growing concerns about the deaths of children under 1.
1907 Education (Administrative Provisions) Act introduced a compulsory medical inspection for children at their schools. However, parents had to pay for any treatment that followed.
In 1912 some clinics were set up to provide free treatment for those parents who could not afford it.
Children's Charter, 1908 stipulated that parents could be prosecuted for mistreating or abusing their children. Parents could no longer insure their children's lives. Foster homes were inspected on a regular basis, as were work houses. Borstals were established, specially designed custodial centres for young people.
Before the Reforms, what was life like for the urban poor?
There were over 700 charities dedicated to helping the poor, but they were not state sponsored and people had to rely on organisations like Salvation Army and Barnardo's if they wanted support.
The workhouse was the only option if people became unemployed. The conditions inside them were very harsh, with monotonous labour and strict discipline. They were to be avoided/
Reforms for the Oldies (basically, they couldn't just be killed off)
Old Age Pensions Act, 1908
The payment was non-contributory: the Liberal government had to raise taxes (hence Lloyd George's new budget in 1909, which had to pay for the £16 billion a year costs of the pension). In 1908, 600,000 people were eligible and by 1914 almost one million people were receiving it.
More on the Supertax - raised duties on alcohol and spirits, income tax by 16% and introduced a new tax on the profits of selling land (20%)