News / Society

Young UK families hit hardest by cuts: Report

Tuesday, 27 January 2015 5:19 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 27 January 2015 5:19 AM ]

Young British families have been hit the hardest by government’s cuts, a report says. (File photo)

British families with young children have been hit the hardest by the government’s austerity measures, with poverty levels to continue to rise over the next five years, a new report shows.

The report compiled by the London School of Economics (LSE) and the Universities of Manchester and York and published on Tuesday showed that young families have borne the brunt of the government’s cuts.

According to the report, Prime Minister David Cameron's government has imposed cuts to early education, childcare and Sure Start services as well as changed the tax and benefits system, affecting families with children under the age of five more than any other group.

In addition, the report said the changes to direct taxes, benefits and tax credits had been mainly regressive, meaning Britons on below-average incomes lost more than they received through increases in tax thresholds.

The study added that the government’s cuts did not help reduce the country’s deficit due to tax reductions for wealthier households.

“The effects of the coalition’s reforms were, in the main, the opposite of what they claimed - on average the poorer groups paid more than the richer ones as a percentage of their income,” the report said.

The researchers concluded that poverty levels across Britain had been increasing over the past two years and would continue to worsen over the next five years.

Cathy Jamieson, the shadow treasury minister, commented on the findings saying, “This report makes a mockery of David Cameron’s claim that we are all in this together.”

“The Tories have prioritized the privileged few by giving millionaires a huge tax cut while working families have been left worse off. And the Tories want to go even further if they win the election and once again cut the tax credits of millions of working people,” Jamieson added.

Cameron’s coalition government launched austerity measures when it came to power in 2010 in a bid to tackle the country’s mounting debt and sluggish growth, but the policies have sparked opposition and public protests in recent years.

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