Single parents trapped on low incomes have no financial safety net. They have been hit hard by years of austerity, the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis – just because of their family makeup. It’s become impossible to make ends meet. Families are going without food and warmth and parents are struggling with the stress and anxiety this brings. We know that uprating welfare support in line with inflation was an essential lifeline to many but it is not a silver bullet.

Over recent years many single parent families have seen a real-terms drop in income. Most recently, we saw benefits only uprated by 3.1% while food, fuel, rent, and childcare costs rocketed. Too many people were pushed into debt to cover these costs and many are living in poverty.

Single parents are desperate and need urgent support now. While we welcome this announcement, single parents can’t wait until April. We receive desperate messages every day from parents who have run out of money and can’t provide for their families. They are desperate and have nowhere to turn. Children are going without food and are going to go cold this winter – the Government needs to do more now – we can’t wait until April.