‘It’s tone deaf’ Universal Credit poster that says single parents are better off working than being on benefits slammed

A GOVERNMENT poster which claims people on Universal Credit would be better off working has been branded ‘inaccurate’ by experts. 

The flagship benefits scheme is designed to help people back into work but experts say the example used is “damaging” and “unhelpful”, as it fails to take into account childcare fees and ‘wildly underestimates’ rent costs. 

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The poster says a single parent with two children could receive £433 more each month if they took a minimum wage job for 15 hours per week, rather than being paid benefits.

The poster, which was created last year, was photographed on the wall in a Jobcentre in Lewes, East Sussex, last week. 

It claims rent costs of £450, however, official statistics published this week show the average private rent in England is three times this, at £1,285 per month. 

In Lewes, where the poster was seen, average monthly rents are £1,215, while in nearby Brighton they are £1,723.

Although social rents for council properties are much lower, the latest DWP figures show the average monthly housing benefit payment for social rents is £530 per month. 

The figures do not take into account childcare costs.

Sarah Lambert, of single parent family charity Gingerbread, criticised the “unrealistic” example and warned the poster showed the Government failed to understand the issues preventing single parents from working. 

Parents of preschool children aged over two are only entitled to 15 “free” hours a week of childcare if they work a minimum of 16 hours in a minimum-wage job, which means the parent in DWP’s example wouldn’t qualify. 

Putting a child in nursery costs an average of £60 per day, according to the Moneyhelper website, and parents on Universal Credit are only able to claim up to 85 per cent of childcare costs back, leaving them around £18 per week worse off.

Those with school-age children have to pay for childcare during the 14 weeks of school holidays each year.

Holiday clubs cost an average of £148 per week in 2022 – or nearly £900 for the six-week summer break – according to the charity Coram Family and Childcare.

Lambert said: “Unrealistic examples like this are not only unhelpful but they clearly show that this government doesn’t understand the realities of life for single parent families.

“The majority of single parents work and many want to take on more paid hours but a lack of affordable, available, and flexible childcare is a huge barrier.”

She called on the Government to “pay more attention to the facts”. 

Ruth Talbot, founder of the campaign group Single Parent Rights, criticised the “damaging and inaccurate” messaging on the poster.

She added: “The majority of single parents are already working. Those single parents who aren’t in paid employment, or are working less than 15 hours are doing so because of the genuine employment barriers they face and the critical caring role they are undertaking for their children which they can’t tag team with a second parent.

“Rather than trying to convince single parents of a mythical financial situation, the DWP should be investing in practical support for single parents who are able to work or increase their hours, and ensure that the wider barriers single parents face are addressed.”

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Michael Clarke, from anti-poverty charity Turn2us, said: “At a time when our benefits system is leaving so many single parent families unable to afford the cost of essentials like food, unrealistic DWP information like this will undoubtedly cause frustration and confusion for people needing urgent support.”

One person who saw the poster in the Jobcentre described it as “tone deaf”.

While an East Sussex resident commented on social media: “It’s disgusting that they’re using figures which don’t reflect real life.”

Another commented they were shocked by how “off the mark” the poster was. “None of it adds up – it makes me feel a bit sick,” they added.  

A DWP spokesperson said: “The poster is out of date and has been removed from Lewes Jobcentre.

“Work is the best path to long-term financial security with households likely to be £6,000 better off or more taking a full-time job rather than being unemployed on benefits.”

They did not address the issues raised regarding childcare costs or rent rates in the example.

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk