Benefits threat to parents whose children skip class
PARENTS whose children fail to attend school should have their benefits stopped as part of a wider crackdown on anti-social behaviour, Michael Gove suggested yesterday.
The Levelling Up Secretary said yobs often terrorise communities while truanting. He suggested ministers could bring in the rule as part of a review.
The ‘radical’ measure was floated during the Coalition years when Mr Gove was education secretary, but was blocked by the Liberal Democrats, he claimed.
The proposal, which would aim to reduce crime by boosting school attendance, sparked a furious backlash from union leaders, who branded it ‘counter-productive’.
Mr Gove also hinted at an overhaul of childcare, saying ministers were ‘looking at’ expanding provision and improving quality.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has effectively appointed Mr Gove as his anti-social behaviour tsar by asking him to draw up plans for tackling it and making it a priority before the next election.
The issue could become a key battleground, with Labour setting out its own stall this month with plans to force parents of persistent young offenders to attend parenting classes.
The Government’s cross-department anti-social behaviour strategy is set to be published in the coming months and could include a ban on the sale and possession of laughing gas.
Speaking at an event in Westminster hosted by the Onward think- tank, Mr Gove said he wanted to see a greater ‘visible uniformed presence’ of police on the streets in anti- social behaviour hotspots.
He added: ‘We need to, particuidea larly after Covid-19, get back to an absolute rigorous focus on school attendance, on supporting children to be in school.
‘It is often the case that there’s truanting or persistent absenteeism that leads to involvement in anti- social behaviour and one we considered in the Coalition years, which the Liberal Democrats blocked, needs to be re- considered, which is linking parental responsibility for attendance and good behaviour to the state.
‘So one thing we floated during the Coalition years was the idea that if children were persistently absent that child benefit should be stopped.
‘And I think what we do need to do is think radically about restoring an ethic of responsibility.’
Community Payback sentences, where yobs are ordered to remove graffiti or help decorate run-down public spaces and buildings by magistrates, are ‘far too slow and disconnected from the original offence,’ Mr Gove added.
Mr Sunak sees reducing crime in hotspots as key to transforming communities and unleashing untapped potential and opportunities up and down the country.
The PM said he wanted to introduce powers to ensure ‘these crimes will be quickly and visibly punished’ and to ‘do away with the idea that it’s inevitable that some communities and some places can never and will never get better’.
‘Strong communities are also built on values, on the golden rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. But too often, a small minority break that golden rule,’ he said.
Polls show that anti- social behaviour is one of the public’s biggest concerns, with the Conservatives and Labour keen to focus on the issue at the next general election, expected towards the end of next year.
‘Persistent absenteeism’