Is it hard to be a single parent? To be honest, it’s not a question I’m asked a lot. That’s not because I make it look so easy, but because the assumption is just generally made that being a single parent must be really tough. There are two sides to Read more…
Last night the House of Lords voted on the government’s statutory instrument (SI) to make changes to Tax Credits. I wrote here what those planned changes were. The SI had already been through the House of Commons and been passed; this was just a formality… or so they thought. Three Read more…
While everyone is busy labelling those who claim Tax Credits as scroungers, it’s worth remembering why Tax Credits exist in the first place: because the cost of living is higher than a large proportion of businesses are paying their staff. The cost of having a family in this country is Read more…
A lot of the debate surrounding the planned cuts to Tax Credits has focused on the idea that Tax Credits “cost” the nation however many millions or billions of pounds.We as families “cost” the nation money. One thing nobody seems to be thinking about is how much more all of Read more…
Some of you may have noticed a familiar face on Good Morning Britain this week; I was on there talking about the cuts to tax credits, and how they will affect single parents. While I was talking to one of the researchers, we went through my income and expenditure. I Read more…
This morning a report has been released by Gingerbread, showing that single parents will be the worst hit by the planned cuts to Tax Credits. You may have seen me being interviewed on Good Morning Britain this morning about how cuts to Tax Credits will affect me. The two main Read more…
I am quoted in The Observer today, in a piece about the tax credit cuts that have recently been voted in. Under the heading, Case studies: people in the front line, there is a photo of S and I and information from a short interview I gave last week. I’ve done Read more…
I spoke to the Sunday Times this week about S being an only child. Apparently families with only children are on the rise, and at present 47% of families have only one child. I know lots of people who have taken the decision to have only one child, for lots Read more…
The Archbishop of Canterbury was in the news yesterday, saying that he’s more shocked by food poverty in the UK than suffering in African refugee camps. He said that although it’s less serious, a British family having to turn to a foodbank for help is more shocking than suffering Read more…
According to a report from the Institute of Health Equity at University College London, nearly half of all children in England are not ready for school when they finish their reception year at the age of five. Apparently children from poorer areas are more likely to not be ready for Read more…
In the news today, there is a worrying story. The government are apparently toying with the idea of telling those people receiving ESA (Employment Support Allowance) for mental health conditions that if they refuse to accept “treatment,” their benefit will be stopped. In theory, this sounds good, right? Read more…
I was on LBC this morning talking about childcare costs; a new report has come out showing that childcare costs have rocketed by almost 80% in the last ten years and people are outraged. Actually, the figure they quote as an average (and are clearly outraged by) is about Read more…
A version of this post was originally published on the blog I write for my local paper. The original post can be found here. I spent an hour in my local council offices earlier this week. I claim Housing Benefit, and that means that every month I have to go Read more…
My Housing Benefit is dependent on how much money I earn, and how much I pay out on nursery bills. Each month, I go to the council office and wait in line to submit my payslip and my nursery bill. This usually takes at least half an hour, even when Read more…
I posted last week about how I get irritated with people’s responses to some of my posts. I found for a couple of days after that post, my brain was doing that classic and another thing… thing it is wont to do… so here are some more points I’d like to Read more…
This government seems to dislike single parents so much, and their plan of using tax breaks for married couples to somehow prevent them… well, quite frankly, it’s a bit stupid isn’t it. How is a tax break amounting to up to £3.80 a week supposed to encourage people to get married, Read more…