MP backing charity call to reverse benefit cut

MP Jon Ashworth is backing calls by a family charity for the government to keep the lifeline £20 a week extra universal credit.

Home-Start UK, which is based in Leicester, is among organisations and politicians of all parties urging the government to reverse the decision to cut benefits.

Mr Ashworth, MP for Leicester South and shadow secretary of state for health and social care, who is patron of HomeStart Horizons, said: “Home-Start Horizons is a fantastic organisation that helps hundreds of families in Leicester and beyond.

“Sadly, more families will need its services if the government goes ahead with its plan to cut to universal credit at the end of the month.”

Stuart Sullivan, chief executive of Home-Start Horizons, said: “Growing up in poverty restricts children’s life chances, from affecting their wellbeing to their educational attainment and future prosperity.

“The pandemic has no doubt exacerbated these effects.

“Families with children have been among the worst affected, with job losses and increased costs of living from repeated lockdowns and school closures, causing many families to struggle financially.

“If we are to ensure more families are not swept up in a rising tide of financial insecurity, with increased living costs, low pay, insecure employment, reduced opportunities and austerity, we must act together across society to create an environment where all families and children can thrive.”

Becky Saunders, head of policy for Home-Start UK, said: “Financial insecurity affects the mental health and wellbeing of parents, which in turn has a knock-on effect for their children.

“Parenting is a difficult enough task, and poverty restricts parents’ options and many are locked in a daily struggle to make ends meet, leaving them in impossible situations, making impossible choices for their families.

“With rising living costs and unstable work, poverty is holding families down and leaving parents unable to think about a different future.”

Home-Start UK has a community network of trained volunteers who stand alongside families when they need it most with compassionate and non-judgemental support.

The charity supports 56,000 children in 27,000 families across the UK.