A new analysis by Gingerbread and The Children’s Society says that more than a quarter of a million young or disabled parents will have support dramatically cut under Universal Credit. The report reveals that young and disabled parents could lose hundreds if not thousands of pounds each year under Universal Credit. In total 900,000 single parent families will lose out when Universal Credit is in place.
At the moment single parents are exempt from rules that provide people under the age of 25 a lower rate of support. Universal Credit will remove this exemption. Meaning 240,000 young parents will lose around £780 a year. Even the governments own figures show that the changes to support for all parents under 25 will result in 100,000 more children being pushed into poverty.
A further 25,000 disabled single parents will also lose out with the abolition of the severe disability premium. Severely disabled single parents – many of whom rely on their children to provide care for them – could lose more than £3,000 a year.
You can read more on this and Gingerbread and The Children’s Trust comments at Turn2Us
It’s an absolute disgrace, this Government should be ashamed of itself.
I also just found out that instead of getting full council tax benefit I now only get 75% as the government decided to reduce it from 100% to 75% . No warning just a nice bill on my doormat telling me I have to find £21 a month from the 1st April. Lovely start to the day