11.03.13
Children to ‘pay the price’ for benefit cuts – Archbishop of Canterbury
Planned welfare cuts could push 200,000 children into poverty, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.
The Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill will cap benefit rises at 1% a year until 2016. In the past, benefits have risen with inflation, and this year rose by 5.2%.
But the Most Reverend Justin Welby and Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu have given their backing to a letter signed by 43 bishops arguing that families relying on benefits will lose protection against the rising cost of living, and result in increased child poverty.
He said: “As a civilised society, we have a duty to support those among us who are vulnerable and in need. When times are hard, that duty should be felt more than ever, not disappear or diminish.
“It is essential that we have a welfare system that responds to need and recognises the rising costs of food, fuel and housing. The current benefits system does that, by ensuring that the support struggling families receive rises with inflation.
“These changes will mean it is children and families who will pay the price for high inflation, rather than the Government. Politicians have a clear choice. By protecting children from the effects of this Bill, they can help fulfil their commitment to end child poverty.”
A Church of England convention prevented the archbishops from actually signing the bishops’ letter.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “In difficult economic times we’ve protected the incomes of pensioners and disabled people, and most working age benefits will continue to increase 1%. This was a tough decision but it’s one that will help keep the welfare bill sustainable in the longer term.
“By raising the personal allowance threshold, we’ve lifted 2 million people out of tax altogether, clearly benefiting people on a low income.”
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(Image shows the Most Reverend Justin Welby, who will be formally enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral later this month. Credit: Philip Toscano/PA Wire)