Some points:
In April 2013 UC will be implemented, putting all benefits, including housing into one payment administrated by one authority.
To change the system this dramatically will see massive lay offs of public sector employees.
It will also cost a HUGE amount to change the system.
There has been very little actual, factual info about this.
What is clear is that a couple will have to work 24 hours a week to qualify for UC (think tax credits/housing help etc)
OK, fine, but when I look on the websites for direct.gov, tax credits etc there is scant real info about how this will affect single parents.
If it is the case that they are treating single parents as a household, e. one parent having to work 24 hours, then this is quite at odds with them not treating us as a household when it comes to the child benefit cap (e.g one parent households only being able to earn half what 2 parent households can to get CB).
The 24 hours thing for single parents is a joke.
obs generally come as 37.5 hours a week, or 16-18 hours per week.
So 24 hours really means full time, to all intents and purposes.
It would be hard to supplement an 18 hour a week job with another part time job, as most part time jobs are evenings and weekends.
I would be very happy to work up to 30 hours a week, but these jobs just dont really exist.
If I work 37.5 hours a week, then, due to the lack of schools in my area, ds(5) and I would have to leave the house at 7.15 a.m to walk the 40 mins to school, and still give me time to get to work for 9. am.
I would rush to get to after school club to pick him up at 6. We would have to get a taxi home every day, as by this point he would be frankly too exhausted to walk the 1 hour plus (it's uphill) home.
Even with the extra cost of a taxi we would get home at 6.30.
That is a nearly 12 hour day for a five year old.
I don't think he could handle it, honestly.
In the holidays I really don't know what the hell I would do, especially as childcare costs will no longer be offset by housing costs.
That's if I could even find a childminder.
If the lone parent is working already at say 21 hours a week, I don't know wether they would have to make up the extra 3 hours a week doing slave labout for Tesco. It doesn't say on the websites.
If a lone parent with a child over the age of five searches for a job for more than a year, but fails to find one, 10% will be deducted from their housing allowance.
All this with nearly 3 million unemployed.
You should be scared. I am. this government is systematically going after lone parents.
It is generally gunning for the poorest and most vulnerable in society. Don't let this bill happen.