Castle Point families will bear the burden of Coalition cuts

Castle Point families will bear the burden of Coalition cuts

George Osborne this week announced that the Coalition will end Family Allowance for higher earners, after both he and David Cameron promised they wouldn’t. This is could have an unbalanced and unfair impact on single parents and stay at home mums in Castle Point.
Under Osborne’s plans a single parent, stay at home mum or widower with one child would be over £1055 a year worse off while a couple next door who both earn £40, 000, that’s a combined income of £80,000, won’t lose out.
On top if this, Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, has admitted that child benefit will be means tested, again something George Osborne said wouldn’t happen. This means that every family in Castle Point risks losing out. This is an additional blow for hardworking local families who could already lose £545 worth of tax credits from 2012-13 if the joint family income is £30,000, that could be two parents on only £15, 000 each losing much needed support.

Castle Point Labour Party says “Despite promises to protect it, George Osborne and David Cameron have confirmed that Family Allowance is going to be means tested- and it’s single parents and stay at home mums in Castle Point who are going to suffer.

"On top of this, Iain Duncan Smith’s admission that Child Benefit is going to be means tested- something else George Osborne and David Cameron said wouldn’t happen, could be bad news for every family around here. “We know there are difficult choices to make but it’s not fair that local families with children will bear the brunt of Coalition cuts. David Cameron promised a family friendly Government. But his actions, including cuts to child benefit, child tax credits and maternity support tell a different story.”

Labour’s Yvette Cooper said: "This is a shocking attack on children. Families of all incomes are being hit hardest. Government ministers clearly have no idea of the pressures ordinary parents face and how hard people are working to support their children. For sixty years there's been a consensus that we all depend on the strength of future generations and society as a whole should help support children as they grow. Now the Tory Liberal coalition is ripping that up and leaving families to sink or swim. This gives the lie to the idea that cutting the deficit much faster will help the next generation -- they are the ones paying the biggest price right now."