Chancellor George Osborne's economic policies got a decidedly mute response in terms of their impact on the poorest at an event in Edinburgh yesterday.

Do not be fooled by the scraps from the table in Chancellor Osborne's 2011 budget, says Urban Forum chief executive, Toby Blume, analysing the implications for charities, enterprise, environment, planning and poverty. Sadly, the real damage has already been done.

Anti-poverty activists have expressed astonishment at George Osborne's claim that massive public spending cuts will create a "more just society".

The Government’s Pre-Budget Report announced some measures which will help those hit hardest by the economic crisis. But more needs to be done, says the campaigning group Church Action on Poverty (CAP).