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CSAN fears total cap on welfare spending will penalise vulnerable families


CSAN (Caritas Social Action Network), the social action arm of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, has voiced fears that the Chancellor’s announcement of an overall cap on welfare spending risks penalising poor families.

Commenting on the proposal, CSAN’s Head of Policy, Liam Allmark said: “This runs the risk of being extremely inflexible and we fear that setting an arbitrary ceiling for overall welfare spending may fail to take account of growing levels of poverty and rising costs of living. As we encounter a growing number of families in need of our support services, it becomes increasingly vital that a viable safety net is maintained.”

Dr Rosemary Keenan, Chief Executive of Catholic Children’s Society, Westminster added: “The inclusion of housing benefit within the total cap on welfare spending is a particular source of concern. Private rental costs have risen dramatically over the past few years, impacting especially on those in low paid employment or on benefits. Setting a cap for a four year period runs the risk of not accounting for significant changes to the housing and rental market. This could create a welfare shortfall and it is amongst those families struggling the most, the poorest families in our society, who are likely to be hardest hit.”

Source: CSAN

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