Latest cut ”hurts children most”
Four of the UK’s national denominations are united in opposition to the reduction of the benefit cap, which they say will hurt families with children more than any other sector.
From 7 November, the limit that a needy family can claim in state support has been reduced to £23,000 in London and £20,000 for the rest of the UK. Previously benefits were capped at £26,000 per family.
Current statistics reveal that 19 out of 20 families whose benefits have been cut have children, and over a quarter of a million children have been affected by the cap since it was introduced in April 2013, according to The Baptist Times. In addition, the majority of families affected were accepted as not being able to work due to illness, disability or caring responsibilities.
The Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT), which speaks on behalf of the Baptist Union, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church on public issues, claims the benefit cap “overwhelmingly targets families with children”.
JPIT Policy Adviser Paul Morrison said: “It cannot be morally acceptable to leave children without enough to live on in order to pressurise their parents into work. This is doubly true if those parents have no prospect of moving into work because they are sick or caring for family members.”
For the full statement visit: http://methodist-news.org.uk/BVI-4L6JP-72JBQZ5296/cr.aspx