Lone parents hit by benefit cap gain vital 'work readiness'

Lone parents struggling to cope with benefit reductions are getting practical advice on childcare, increasing their income as well as vital skills to find work. The city’s first 'work readiness' event was held this month with a handful of the hundreds of parents who are seeing their benefit reduced as families struggle to pay their rent. The Government’s benefit cap, which limits total benefit to any out of work family to £500 per week, is seeing hundreds of families struggle to pay for food and rent. With a 27% rise in private sector rents in the last year alone, private landlords, who have to give 8 weeks notice to quit, have started issuing eviction notices and this threatens to force families into more expensive temporary accommodation. In Brighton & Hove, more than 200 families have had their benefits cut with 75% of those being lone parents and 65% having children under 5.