This is no surprise to logical thinkers. Simply upping benefits doesn't mean the extra money will be well spent. Benefit increases have the effect of drawing more people onto benefits, away from work and the structure work brings to people's lives.
But the following admission from the Rotorua Lakes District Council nevertheless surprised me:
"Millions of dollars in welfare has to deliver the desired impact of hope and positive change, instead, Rotorua has seen a steady increase in deprivation since the onset of Covid-19, largely driven by increased benefit rates."
It's an odd sentence though and I wonder if 'has' in the first line was meant to be 'was'?
