Letters to the Editor: Family hardship highlighted in survey

The latest Family Resources Survey from the Department for Work and Pensions highlights some worrying trends for families in the UK.

It highlights major changes in the housing market, with a decrease in social renting and mortgage holding, and an increase in private renting.

Nearly one in five families now rent in the private sector and among lone parents with dependent children this rises to 31 per cent. We believe that the government should prioritise building affordable new family homes and reform tenancy law to promote stable rental contracts for families.

We are also concerned about its findings on families’ savings. Some 32 per cent of respondents had no savings at all and a further 14 per cent had savings of less than £1,500.

Savings help families survive financial shocks, such as unexpected bills, and those without savings are more likely to turn to payday loan companies. A lack of savings can also be a barrier to deposits for childcare.

Although public resources are limited, thriving families are an essential driver of growth for the UK’s recovery. We urgently need to tackle low wages, support family-friendly employment practices and reduce the costs of childcare to make life better for families.

Jill Rutter, research manager, Family and Childcare Trust


Tackling child poverty is getting harder

The national statistics on households’ below-average income contained some grim reading.

While there was no improvement in the number of children in relative poverty, the percentage of children in absolute poverty increased by two per cent – that’s 300,000 children – between 2010/11 and 2011/12.

Two thirds of children in absolute poverty have at least one parent in employment, suggesting that work is failing to pay for many.

The government attributes this rise to prices rising faster than incomes, which suggests its one per cent cap on benefit increases is likely to have a damaging impact on its commitment to reduce child poverty in the coming years.

If the Chancellor is planning to cut childcare and pre-school budgets, the job of helping the poorest parents to stay in employment and tackling child poverty will be made much harder.

Rhian Beynon, head of policy and campaigns, Family Action