‘Who is the government to dictate how long the grieving process takes?’
WIFE OF TERMINAL CANCER PATIENT SPEAKS OUT ON REFORMS AND IS BACKED BY MP
THE Government is dictating how long young families have to grieve for a parent according to an MP.
Changes to payments made to families who lose a parent will start this week and they have been called a “callous attack on grieving families.”
The reforms to the family bereavement benefit will cut the length of time that bereavement support is paid.
At the moment it is paid until the youngest child is sixteen, but from this week onwards, support will be paid to just eighteen months after the death of a parent.
Rebecca Williams, a mother of two young boys from Bangor whose husband, Irfon, has terminal bowel cancer, described her shock at realising she could be hit by the changes.
“The government reform tells me we will be OK after 18 months when the allowance will be stopped completely and we will have to ‘get on with life’.”
“Eighteen months is such a short time. Being worried and stressed about finances on top of dealing with such a devastating loss is cruel and unfair.”
The Government has also refused to extend support to couples who were not married but who had children together.
Mrs Williams’ MP, Afron area’s Hywel Williams, said: “This ill-thought out policy will only make things worse for those already trying to adjust to life following a bereavement.
“The government is effectively putting a time limit on the grieving process; forcing the widowed partner into making difficult decisions about their family’s future whilst still mourning the loss of a partner.
“Who is the government to dictate how long the grieving process takes? People’s circumstances vary considerably. Assuming families are ready to ‘move on’ after eighteen months is at best naïve and at worst heartless.”
“The needs of children of cohabiting parents are no different to those whose parents were married. But they are excluded from the scheme. Punishing kids on the grounds of the marital status of their parents is unforgiveable.
“The government is intent on making sweeping reforms to the benefit system. They should think first about the terrible impact this unjust and cruel policy change will have on bereaved families.”
But a government spokesman defended the changes: “The death of a partner or spouse is always a difficult time and can have a big impact on a household’s finances. This is why we provide Bereavement Benefits, to compensate for a sudden loss of income.
“We’re modernising the support we offer, replacing an outdated system that doesn’t reflect people’s lives today. The new Bereavement Support Payment is simpler, easier to understand, tax-free and doesn’t affect the amount received from other benefits, so families can access wider welfare support.”
“After 18 months the allowance will be stopped and we’ll have to ‘get on with life’” REBECCA WILLIAMS