Benefit freeze coming to an end is apparently news this morning (which is odd given that it’s welcome but definitely not news - legislation was clear last April was the end) bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Even the amount isn’t new - we’ve known for over a fortnight that benefits would be going up by 1.7% (in line with September inflation stats) resolutionfoundation.org/publications/t…
Freeze ending is of course very different to reversing it - the 6% benefit cuts it has caused is big and will last, leaving a typical poorer couple with kids £580 a year worse off. 
Ongoing erosion of social security system also continues: benefits go up in line with prices unlike in New Zealand that increases in line with (generally higher) earnings. Unemployment benefits are now just 14% average earnings vs 27% when Beveridge system was introduced
Contrast with basic state pension going up twice as fast (3.9% next year) as working age benefits because everyone now gets it needs to keep pace with earnings to ensure pensioners living standards keep pace with the rest of society
While the benefit freeze is over austerity for benefits more generally is not - other cuts (such as the removal of support for children beyond the second child) are being rolled out in the coming years.
Context for all of this is high and likely to be rising child poverty - children are almost twice as likely as pensioners to be living in poverty these days
So good everyone’s talking about benefit rates today - it’s not news but it is really important for a decent society
