Increase the living allowance for working families

Working families are struggling to make ends meet. Read my petition to find out why and ask the government to do something about this.

The petition gives three examples of basic income and expenditure of three different families. One on benefits, one with a single working parent and the other for two working parents. All are based on a two parent, three child family. The ideal would be to increase the living allowance for a working family. Why? Because we claim housing and council tax benefits. Such benefits calculate the amount the law says you need to live on and any additional money you earn you will pay to the cost of your house.

For example:

FAMILY 1
A two parent family with three healthy, non-disabled children who live in a three bed house at a cost of £100 per week will currently get
full housing and council tax benefits
free school meals - otherwise £30 per week for all three if paid for
£167.16 per week Child Tax Credit
£112.55 JSA per week
£47.10 child benefit per week
So that is an income after housing costs of £356.81 per week if you include the subsudised school meals.

This family would have no costs of travel to and from work and may get extra help for other things such as food bank help and school uniform/trips help.

The school will get an additional £953 for each primary-aged pupil in the way of a pupil premium. If the school is as good as my local school this will help the parent substantially. I know my local school have used these funds to help subsidise the full cost of very expensive residential trips, uniforms and have even provided one to one tutoring after school hours to ensure the pupil gets the full benefit of their allocated premium.

FAMILY 2
If this same family, in the same house gets one job paid at £6.31 (min wage) for 40 hours per week so that the other parent can care for the children when sick etc this is what happens:

£225.73 per week after tax and NI
£204.04 Child/Working Tax Credit
£47.10 child benefit per week
full Council Tax bill of £30.46 per week will be reduced to £15.17 per week because of entitlement to Council Tax Support; full rent of £100.00 per week will be reduced by £50.69 per week because of entitlement to Housing Benefit. Will pay £49.31 each week.

So that is an income after housing costs of £412.39 per week. An additional income from the benefits of £55.58 per week. Let's assume it costs said parent £5 per day to travel to and from work the additional income is reduced to just £25.58 per week for 40 hours of labour.

The working parent will not see his child at school plays and he will not be able to attend parents meetings. He will miss milestones and see the children for about 30 minutes before bed every day apart from the weekends.

FAMILY 3
Let's assume the second parent decide to get a full time job as well. We now have two working parents and three children. This is what happens:

£180 per week as cost of childcare
£451.46 Income after tax and NI
£226.21 CTC
£47.10 child benefit
less £30.46 per week council tax; full rent of £100.00 per week will be reduced by £6.56 per week because of entitlement to Housing Benefit. Will have to pay £93.44 each week.

So that is an income after housing costs of £420.87 per week. An additional income from the benefits of £64.06 per week. Let's assume it costs each parent £5 per day to travel to and from work the additional income is reduced to just £14.06 per week for 80 hours of labour. Less than when only one parent was working!

Now both parents will not see children at school plays and not be able to attend parents meetings. They will miss milestones and see the children for about 30 minutes before bed every day apart from the weekends.

Furthermore, if both parents work what happens when a child is ill, especially if your child is particularly sicky. Then there are all those holidays where additional childcare is required eating even more into the family budget. Also the family are unable to have any family time away from work and school together because of the limit to working holidays.

In the summer holidays a working family must find 6 weeks childcare provisions, additional money for school uniform where on benefits help might be provided.

I also see many holiday camps which offer subsidies to families on benefits! How this can be right when parents who work actually require the care I don't know.

I, and many other families need the government to see life from where we are. Trying to show our children that there is a right way to live but constantly enduring the challenges of being a working family. It is for this reason I start this petition.

All of the figures provided on this petition have been obtained from entitledto.co.uk website apart from the cost of school meals which is based on my local primary school where £2 per day is charged which is £10 per week per child.