46% of Single Parents

Just over a week ago we posted about the benefit cap being rolled out across the UK. Gingerbread has looked at the DWP figures and found that 46% of the households affected will be single parents who claim income support. Income support is a benefit that is in place for those who are not in a position to work, like single parents who have a child under 4. Gingerbread also have said that 65% of those affected by the benefit cap will be single parent families as many will be pushed over the cap limit by high rents. The high rents have been caused by a shortage of affordable housing.

Gingerbread chief executive Fiona Weir said: “Thousands of young children from single parent families will face deeper poverty, or the upheaval of having to move away from their family networks and communities, as a result of this poorly conceived benefit cap.  Single parents struggling to make ends meet are taking the brunt of the government’s failure to address the underlying cause of housing benefit rises: the shortage of affordable housing.  This is a deeply divisive policy which plays on myths and stigma about benefits.  Far from creating fairness, it will worsen division and disadvantage. It is vital that single parents hit by the cap get direct support to cope with the cap that takes into account their individual circumstances.”

The Benefit Cap is a total amount of benefit people aged 16 – 64 can get. The cap levels are:

£500 a week for couples (with or without children living with them)

£500 a week for single parents whose children live with them

£350 a week for single adults who don’t have children, or whose children don’t live with them.

Benefits that are included in the cap:

• Bereavement Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Child Benefit
• Child Tax Credit
• Employment and Support Allowance (unless you get the support component)
• Guardian’s Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Incapacity Benefit
• Income Support
• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Maternity Allowance
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance (or Widowed Mother’s Allowance or Widows Pension you started getting before 9 April 2001)

 

What isnt affected?

You won’t be affected by the benefit cap if anyone in your household qualifies for Working Tax Credit or gets any of the following benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Benefits (and equivalent payments as part of a war disablement pension or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme)
• Employment and Support Allowance, if you get the support component
• War Widow’s or War Widower’s Pension