Nearly two million of the poorest families in Britain have been made poorer by a “perfect storm” of below-inflation benefit rises and changes to the welfare system, a new report warns.{jcomments on}
An analysis by Oxfam and the New Policy Institute found the worst-affected 200,000 families were losing £864 a year as a result of benefit cuts.
It concluded that about 1.75 million households had been hit by one or more changes to welfare payments, including fewer council tax exemptions and the “bedroom tax”.
The charity called on the Government to introduce an “absolute minimum” level of financial support regardless of where people lived, which would be “high enough to prevent people from having to walk the breadline”.
Tom MacInnes, research director at the New Policy Institute and the report’s author, said the changes were particularly harsh because they affected costs which could not be controlled.
“There are two parts to the safety net. One is the means-tested cash benefit such as jobseeker’s allowance, which is rising by less than prices. The other is the benefits that help pay for specific unavoidable costs. This is where cuts have been targeted and where the greatest damage to the safety net is being done.”
Mark Goldring, Oxfam’s chief executive, said the report provided the “latest evidence of a perfect storm blowing massive holes in the safety net which is supposed to stop people falling further into poverty”.
“We are already seeing people turning to food banks and struggling with rent, council tax, childcare and travel costs to jobcentres,” he said. “It is unacceptable the poorest are paying such a heavy price.”
Read the full story in the Independent
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