According to statistics released by the Department for Work and Pensions, 64% of the households that have capped are single parent households, and of those, 76% have children under five years old. Whilst this cap was introduced by the Government in order to provide an incentive for parents to work, many critics say that this cap is in fact just creating another obstacle for single parents with young children.   The Chief executive of Gingerbread – a support group for single parents – said:

“The cap is billed as a policy that incentivises parents to find work. However, we know that single parents are already highly motivated to work and that for those with very young children it is low pay, the high cost of childcare and lack of the right part-time jobs that make it particularly difficult for them to work.”

Since the benefits cap was introduced in April 2013, 62,571 households have had their benefits capped. The worst affected area is London, where there are more than 45% of these households. However, the next worst affected area is the south-east where there are more than 10% of households affected and where there are soaring property prices.

To read the full article, please visit The Guardian website.