Benefits Crackdown ‘Will Hit Single Parents Hardest’

Single parents would be the biggest losers under David Cameron’s plan to deny under-25s an automatic right to state benefits. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is worried that parents could be affected by proposals to restrict housing benefit for the more than one million “Neets” – young people not in education, employment or training – under a strategy announced by the Prime Minister.  Official figures show that 166,000 (46 per cent) of those under 25 who claim housing benefit are lone parents. So are 8,000 (2 per cent) of those claiming jobseeker’s allowance, which could also be limited under the “learn or earn” strategy being drawn up by the Downing Street Policy Unit. Read more on the Housing News website.