News

Families in Wales will be £​73 per week worse off as a result of recent changes to working tax credit. The BBC Wales’​ Dragon’​s Eye programme found that an estimated 9,010 families will lose approximately £​4000 per year. The figures include 17,115 children.

Commenting on the need to increase working hours from 16 to 24 per week to avoid losing tax credits, the shadow Welsh secretary, Owen Smith said “​The prospect that it’​s easy to pick up an extra eight hours work in order to continue for it to be worth your while going out to work is fanciful.”​

Alison Garnham, chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group said of the changes “​This is an absolute calamity that plunges nearly 20,000 children deep below the poverty line”​ and Elika Helps of Rhonnda Taff Citizens Advice Bureau said that some people had “​found that they’​re not going to be working enough hours and are not going to be able to claim the credits any longer,...so they’​re making the decision that, actually they can’​t afford to go back into work.”​

A Treasury spokesperson said it had had to make “​tough decisions”​ and insisted decisions had been taken “​in the fairest way possible”​.

The full report can be found on the BBC website