Thousands of lone parents may be forced into debt
Controversial plans by the government to change benefits for single parents will result in around 55,000 people being forced into debt.
The government wants single parents with children aged 12 or over to move from income support to job seekers allowance from November this year, causing a week’s gap in benefit payments.
This will force single parents to take out crisis loans to cover gaps in payments and potentially plunge them into debt.
Shadow minister for welfare reform James Clappison criticised the government’s treatment of lone parents.
“It is outrageous that the government should plunge them into debt in this way,” he said.
The Social Security Advisory Committee also attacked the decision.
“We do not think it fair to expect lone parents to take on a debt in order to ease the department’s administrative processes,” it said.
Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesperson Jenny Willott: “The government cannot allow these changes to force parents into debt.
“It is scandalous that ministers have designed changes to the benefit system that will force single parents to take out loans simply to make ends meet.”
The social fund loan system which would provide the loans is already struggling to deal with existing applications which have soared 40 per cent in the last year.
If a lone parent’s youngest child is aged 12 or over, or will be 12 in the next year, their income support may stop during that year.
