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| Families on universal credit falling into debt in school holidays | Families on universal credit falling into debt in school holidays |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| Families on universal credit are being plunged into debt because of increased childcare and food costs during school holidays, parents have told a committee of MPs as they appealed for help to manage the extra costs. | Families on universal credit are being plunged into debt because of increased childcare and food costs during school holidays, parents have told a committee of MPs as they appealed for help to manage the extra costs. |
| The parliamentary hearing on holiday hunger heard from parents and charities about struggling families where parents have to stop working during the school holidays or pay crippling additional childcare costs up front. | The parliamentary hearing on holiday hunger heard from parents and charities about struggling families where parents have to stop working during the school holidays or pay crippling additional childcare costs up front. |
| Under universal credit, families need to pay the cost of childcare in advance, then claim the cost back via the benefit system, meaning delays of several weeks until they receive a refund. | Under universal credit, families need to pay the cost of childcare in advance, then claim the cost back via the benefit system, meaning delays of several weeks until they receive a refund. |
| Children in low-income families suffer 'shame and social exclusion' | Children in low-income families suffer 'shame and social exclusion' |
| Nicola Salvato, a single parent in receipt of universal credit, told the MPs: “I’m working, so my child is being looked after during the summer holidays. I’ve had to reduce my working hours to manage the upfront costs for childcare. But I’ve still got to come up with, for August, about £750 on top of my rent, food, travel costs and all of that.” | Nicola Salvato, a single parent in receipt of universal credit, told the MPs: “I’m working, so my child is being looked after during the summer holidays. I’ve had to reduce my working hours to manage the upfront costs for childcare. But I’ve still got to come up with, for August, about £750 on top of my rent, food, travel costs and all of that.” |
| Heidi Allen, a former Conservative who is now an independent MP, said forcing families to pay up front was “totally bonkers, and I can’t believe that the penny won’t finally drop and [the government] will change that”. | |
| Other parents told the joint meeting of parliament’s education and work and pensions committees that they often struggled to find any sort of childcare outside term-time. “When I had a full-time job, I had to send my youngest to relatives who were two hours away, because that was my childcare, and he absolutely hated it because he was away from everyone,” said Karen Rotherham, a parent from Birkenhead. | Other parents told the joint meeting of parliament’s education and work and pensions committees that they often struggled to find any sort of childcare outside term-time. “When I had a full-time job, I had to send my youngest to relatives who were two hours away, because that was my childcare, and he absolutely hated it because he was away from everyone,” said Karen Rotherham, a parent from Birkenhead. |
| “The job centre said to me: ‘Why can’t your 12 year-old look after the nine-year-old?’, which I think is absolutely ridiculous because he’s still a child himself.” | “The job centre said to me: ‘Why can’t your 12 year-old look after the nine-year-old?’, which I think is absolutely ridiculous because he’s still a child himself.” |
| Rotherham said the current system didn’t take into account the extra pressures of childcare. “We all want to work, but I don’t think we get the help. They don’t explain things to you. They just say: ‘Look for work, there’s your job, bye.’” | Rotherham said the current system didn’t take into account the extra pressures of childcare. “We all want to work, but I don’t think we get the help. They don’t explain things to you. They just say: ‘Look for work, there’s your job, bye.’” |
| Martha Mackenzie, the director of UK poverty policy at Save the Children, said the need to pay for holiday childcare was “a huge financial burden” for low-income families, with well over three-quarters having no savings to fall back on. | Martha Mackenzie, the director of UK poverty policy at Save the Children, said the need to pay for holiday childcare was “a huge financial burden” for low-income families, with well over three-quarters having no savings to fall back on. |
| “A lot of other costs under universal credit are much more permanent – you know how much you are paying in rent, you know broadly what your utility and food costs – whereas childcare is nothing like that. Parents are seeing it fluctuate month to month,” Mackenzie said. | “A lot of other costs under universal credit are much more permanent – you know how much you are paying in rent, you know broadly what your utility and food costs – whereas childcare is nothing like that. Parents are seeing it fluctuate month to month,” Mackenzie said. |
| “And when something like a holiday comes along … you sometimes have to find up to £800 a month extra, which is money that people just do not have lying around.” | “And when something like a holiday comes along … you sometimes have to find up to £800 a month extra, which is money that people just do not have lying around.” |
| The joint committee also heard of other increased costs, such as holiday activities and additional food for families eligible for free school meals during term-time. | The joint committee also heard of other increased costs, such as holiday activities and additional food for families eligible for free school meals during term-time. |
| Several of the parents said they had gone hungry during the holidays to ensure their children had enough to eat. “As a parent, you do eat less, because children are the priority. I know that at times I have had less to eat because I want them to have more,” one of the parents, Anne Newbold, told the MPs. | Several of the parents said they had gone hungry during the holidays to ensure their children had enough to eat. “As a parent, you do eat less, because children are the priority. I know that at times I have had less to eat because I want them to have more,” one of the parents, Anne Newbold, told the MPs. |
| Asked by Frank Field, the chair of the DWP select committee, if there was enough food for her, Newbold replied: “There’s always cereal, isn’t there?” | Asked by Frank Field, the chair of the DWP select committee, if there was enough food for her, Newbold replied: “There’s always cereal, isn’t there?” |
| Food bank network hands out record 1.6m food parcels in a year | Food bank network hands out record 1.6m food parcels in a year |
| Abby Jitendra, the policy and research manager of the Trussell Trust, said this summer was likely to be the busiest on record for the trust’s food banks. “There is so much that the government could do to provide support during the holidays, but fundamentally, if people can’t afford the very basics like food and activities all year round, the problem is only going to continue,” she said. | Abby Jitendra, the policy and research manager of the Trussell Trust, said this summer was likely to be the busiest on record for the trust’s food banks. “There is so much that the government could do to provide support during the holidays, but fundamentally, if people can’t afford the very basics like food and activities all year round, the problem is only going to continue,” she said. |
| The parents said they benefited from local charities offering free or subsidised activities and lunches during the holidays, such as the St James Centre and youth charity the Hive in Birkenhead. “We wouldn’t survive without them. They are our backbone,” said Dawn Taplin, a parent from the Wirral. | The parents said they benefited from local charities offering free or subsidised activities and lunches during the holidays, such as the St James Centre and youth charity the Hive in Birkenhead. “We wouldn’t survive without them. They are our backbone,” said Dawn Taplin, a parent from the Wirral. |
| The Department for Education has said that it will extend its programme of free meals and activities over the summer holidays this year across 11 areas, including Leeds, Newcastle and Plymouth. | The Department for Education has said that it will extend its programme of free meals and activities over the summer holidays this year across 11 areas, including Leeds, Newcastle and Plymouth. |
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