Working to order

Currently wending its way before Parliament is the Government’s welfare reform bill which incorporates many controversial measures in its bid to reduce Britain’s hefty benefit bill.
Not least of these are the proposals concerning lone parents. Introduced to Parliament last December, the White Paper has been informed by Paul Gregg’s report which veers distinctly towards the Daily Mail approach to benefit reform: all stick and no carrot.

The Bill requires lone parents with children as young as three to undertake work-related activity or face sanctions. Organisations representing lone parents are justifiably concerned. Underlying sanctions is the assumption that benefit claimants can find suitable work and if they don’t, well, that’s their fault and they should be penalised.

Getting lone parents working is an admirable aim and many single mothers – for it is almost always mothers – are keen to secure a job. But the rudimentaries of the bill ignore the realities of modern life as a lone parent. Jobs that fit in around the school calendar – both on a daily basis and during the holidays – are very difficult to find, particularly in a faltering economy. And despite advancements in the provision of childcare, the reality remains that it is both difficult to source and expensive to fund. Personally, I know of many nurseries in London that have waiting lists of well over a year.

Single parent charity, Gingerbread, has pointed out that the Government would do better to raise the income levels that lone parents could earn before losing their benefits, thus acting as a financial incentive which would enable more to take up part-time work.

Some organisations are now hoping that the arrival of Yvette Cooper at the helm of the Department for Work and Pensions may herald a softer approach to welfare reform. Time will tell whether their hopes are misplaced.