WHY does this Government want to cut the deficit by attacking families with children?

Already, a quarter of Oxford’s children live in poverty, partly because housing costs in the city are so high. Now the Government wants to make things even worse.

The £12bn cuts in the welfare budget announced by George Osborne are aimed squarely at families with children – the very same group targeted by the previous coalition Government.

Child and working tax credits account for only 14 per cent of the total welfare budget, compared with 45 per cent which goes to pensioners, for example.

Focusing so much of the reduction on tax credits is out of all proportion. These cuts will hit parents in Oxford and elsewhere who are working on low wages and struggling to pay the costs of daily living. Child Poverty Action Group research looked at families with two children, where both parents are working full-time but on the minimum wage. It found that at the moment these families are £75.75 a week short of what they need.

Next year that shortfall will increase as tax credit cuts bite. Bringing up children is one of the most important things we do. Surely, as a nation, we should be doing our utmost to support those who are bearing the cost of raising the next generation?

Sue Tanner
Sunningwell Road
Oxford