figures?
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index...or_families_and_children.htm#child_tax_credit
And
http://www.confessionsofasinglemum.co.uk/single-mum-benefits/
Weekly
Child Benefit for oldest child £20.30
Child Benefit for other children £13.40
Yearly
Rates of Child Tax Credit
Family element £545
Child element:
For each child £2,555 (<£50 per week)
For each disabled child £2,800
For each severely disabled child £1,130
JSA or income support £67.50 max.
So for a single mother with A child (notice underline), that's upwards of £137.80 a week (which coincides with my own observation).
+£500 pounds cash payment for sure start (you get this if you have a baby on benefits).
Then of course council tax is paid for, £120 average.
Rent is paid for, in my friends example the flat has a £800pm market rate
Bus travel is subsidised. (at least in my area, haven't checked if this is a national scheme).
Free childcare vouchers approx 1k value.
1/3 price for use of leisure facilities (at least in my area, haven't checked if this is a national scheme).
So child benifit + child tax credit + JSA or income support + council tax paid + rent paid (in my example) = £17654 cost in benefits per year.
According to
http://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php you have to earn £22k to earn the equivalent amount as these benefits.
EDIT = 30 hours a week on National Minimum Wage would earn £8612 a year.
And that didn't include the single £500 pound payment, cost of childcare vouchers, travel subsidy and leisure subsidy and possibly more I have not included.
EDIT = And the cost of administration, free consultations at JSA centres, free prescriptions, further subsidies on dental treatment if you are on JSA.
This is one single mother, with
one child, not cheating the system.
Oh I am sure that people on low wages are screwed to the wall (serves them right for working!) but these figures are easily available, so I don't know why anyone disputes that the system is overly generous.