Gingerbread believes that the Autumn Statement does not adequately address the problems that single parents face

Responding to the Autumn Statement, Gingerbread Director of Policy Dalia Ben-Galim said:

“Today the Chancellor missed a crucial opportunity to make work pay for ‘just about managing’ single parent families.

“While the slight reduction in the universal credit taper rate and increase to the national living wage are welcome, they are not anywhere near enough to undo the damage that has already been done. Compared to the £200 gain for single parent families from these changes, reversing the cut to the work allowance could put £800 back into the pockets of the average working single parent and well over £2000 for others. [1]

“Families on low wages are still facing huge losses under universal credit. The most targeted and effective way to help them would have been to reverse the cut to the work allowance. But instead the Chancellor made the choice to splurge on a personal tax allowance giveaway which helps those on higher incomes more than it does those on low incomes.

“Infrastructure is about more than roads: investing in childcare would boost productivity by raising maternal employment rates, generating £436m to the Treasury from tax revenue and welfare savings. [2]

“For struggling families who may have expected the government to put their words into action, today has been yet another disappointment.”