Single parents struggle with cost of living

Single parents are more likely than any group to be living with debts, with many forced to borrow money, new research suggests.

Gingerbread and debt charity Step Change said their study among almost 1,700 single parents indicated that more than four out of five did not have enough income to meet living costs.

Single parents were unable to work their way out of debt, as having a full-time job often led to increased childcare costs, said the report.

The research suggested that single parents were more likely to use credit to pay for childcare the more hours they worked.

Victoria Benson, chief executive of Gingerbread, said: “Before the pandemic around 70% of single parents were in work but this didn’t protect them or their children from poverty.

“It’s shocking that in 2021 so many are forced to go hungry in order to repay debts built up as their income doesn’t even cover basic living costs.

“It’s crucial that the government protects low-income families from further poverty by maintaining the £20 uplift to Universal Credit beyond April 2021 and removes the benefit cap.

“Government also must review the childcare offering.”

StepChange chief executive Phil Andrew said: “Even before the pandemic, squeezed incomes, rising childcare costs and a lack of benefit protection were routinely sweeping single parents into hardship, even among those in work.

“Covid-19 has poured fuel on this fire, with alarming numbers of single parents using foodbanks and even skipping meals in order to feed their children.”