Poverty campaigners demand new Government ends 'punishing' two child benefit cap

dailyrecord.co.uk:

One of Scotland’s top campaign groups has called for the next UK Government to end benefit caps to cut poverty levels.The Poverty Alliance says scrapping the two child benefit limit has hit nearly 100,000 Scots kids and must be abolished.Successive Tory administrations have tried to make savings by cracking down on welfare claims.David Cameron’s Government introduced a general benefit cap which now stands at around £22,000 outside London.Child tax credit and universal credit were then restricted to the first two kids in a family.In their general election manifesto, the Poverty Alliance believes that whoever wins on July 4th should scrap the measures.Poverty Alliance director Peter Kelly said: “People in the UK believe in justice and compassion.

They believe that our social security system, like our NHS, should be there for all of us when we need.”“But the two-child limit has stripped vital support from nearly 90,000 children in Scotland, pushing many of these families into poverty.

It particularly punishes one parent families, the vast majority of whom are headed by women.“And the unjust benefit cap cuts the vital link between the financial support that households need and what they actually receive.

The way it has been designed means it’s most likely to hit those people who most need support – including lone parents, large families, and families with young children.“The next UK Government must scrap these inhuman and ineffective policies.