Living costs 'rising for parents'

4 July 2011 Last updated at 23:01 GMT Families have seen prices rise for many essential items, the report says Parents must each earn at least ?18,400 in 2011 so their family can live to an acceptable standard, a charity says.

Cuts to childcare assistance and the freeze on child benefit, when prices have risen, have raised the income requirement, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said.

The minimum cost of living was 5% higher than in 2010, the report said.

But the government said it was doing what it could to help people who were feeling squeezed.

"The Government recognises that people are feeling squeezed and is doing what it can to help, reducing fuel duty so taxes on fuel are 6p lower than they would have been and implementing an increase in the personal allowance in April, taking over 800,000 of the lowest paid out of tax," an HM Treasury spokesman said.

The JRF report added that a single person needed to earn ?15,000 before tax and benefits for an acceptable standard of living.

"This report shows that the squeeze in living standards caused by the combination of rising prices and stagnant incomes is hitting people on low incomes hard," said the author of the report, Donald Hirsch, of Loughborough University.

Inflation

Since 2008, the JRF has gathered information from focus groups to set a benchmark for what it considers to be an "acceptable standard of living".

The official cost of living rose by 4.5% in the year to April, as calculated by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation.

However, the JRF said that the "minimum budget" had risen by between 4.7% and 5.7% during the same period.

Continue reading the main story Single working age: ?240.89Pensioner couple: ?302.74Couple with two children: ?705.63Lone parent with one child: ?466.08

Source: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Weekly budget including rent and childcare

This was because the basket of goods included food, council tax and public transport, taking up a considerable chunk of lower-income families' budgets, which had risen sharply in price.

"In practice, earnings have risen by less than inflation, meaning that many people on low incomes are finding it substantially harder to make ends meet than a year ago," the report said.

In addition, the housing costs had risen, and tax credits had been cut for some families so they needed to cover more of their childcare costs themselves.

"This report is an early sign of the huge impact that even seemingly modest changes in the welfare system can have, especially for low-income working families who depend on it to achieve an acceptable living standard," the report said.

The report said that for each pound by which they fell short of what they needed, they had to earn several pounds more to cover for higher taxes and lower tax credits.

In a statement, the government said that it had, "announced above-inflation increases to the child element of the Child Tax Credit of ?180 in 2011-2 and ?110 in 2012-13, funded in part by recycling the savings from freezing child benefit".

The gap between the national minimum wage and the minimum income standard was highlighted by the JRF, which has also produced a minimum income calculator.

It suggested that a wage of ?7.67 an hour would be needed by a single person, and ?9.41 an hour by each of a couple working full-time with two children.

A lone parent with one child would need to earn ?9.33 an hour. The national minimum wage is ?5.93.

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Parents save school prom hit by strike

30 June 2011 Last updated at 11:16 GMT Doncaster Council's chief executive said management would continue to meet with unions More than half of the schools in South Yorkshire have been closed or partially shut as staff strike in a national protest over pensions.

At least 366 of the county's schools have been hit and of those 193 were fully closed, council figures show.

As well as teaching unions, members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and Unison are striking.

In total, about 20,000 public sector workers in South Yorkshire are involved in the walkout.

In Doncaster, the strike threatened to disrupt the end-of-school prom for pupils at Ridgewood School until parents stepped in to save the day.

Year 11 pupils at the Scawsby school traditionally meet for celebrations at the school during the day before going to the prom at night.

Parents stepped in to save the event after it coincided with the industrial action.

Lynn Hall, a parent and governor at Ridgewood, said a group of parents had come together to organise the prom event "for the sake of the kids".

She said: "We found out at the end of last week that the school leavers' event was cancelled.

"We got our heads together and we said we've got sons affected and friends affected and we could see how gutted they were.

"This is not just for our sons and mates, it's for the entire 240 kids at the school.

"We knew there had to be an alternative."

Picket lines

Unison members working at Doncaster Council are also striking over job cuts and changes to terms and conditions.

Adult social education centres in Thorne, Conisbrough, Mexborough and Hayfield were due to be closed but the council said it did not expect disruption to any other services.

Rob Vincent, the council's chief executive, said: "I am disappointed with the outcome but we will continue to meet with unions and discuss the areas of proposed changes over which they have expressed concern."

Demos and picket lines are planned across the county including a rally at Barker's Pool in Sheffield and picket lines at job centres in Maltby and Rotherham.

Barnsley, Rotherham and Sheffield councils are updating lists of school closures on their websites.

Latest figure show 55 schools are closed in Barnsley with 14 partially closed.

In Doncaster 57 schools are closed with 18 partially shut.

In Rotherham 55 schools are closed with a further 41 partially closed.

And in Sheffield 26 schools are closed with another 98 partially shut.

Doncaster's Robin Hood Airport said it was not anticipating any problems.

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Abductions by parents 'show rise'

29 June 2011 Last updated at 09:10 GMT Yemi Elegunde: "Even today I don't know exactly why I was taken away"

The number of British children abducted by a parent and taken to a country beyond Foreign Office protection has risen by 10% in the past year, it says.

In 2010-11, there were 161 cases of children being taken to countries not signed up to a global child abduction treaty - up from 146 the previous year.

UK authorities struggle to negotiate a child's return from such a country.

The government has produced advice for people who fear a child is at risk. It believes many abductions go unrecorded.

Many abductions happen during school holidays, when a partner refuses to return a child following a trip to their home country.

Limited powers

Pakistan, Thailand and India were the most common abduction destinations last year among the 97 countries that have not ratified the 1980 Hague convention on international child abduction.

The convention provides a tight legal framework and means parents can apply to a UK central authority for their child's return.

Continue reading the main story Seek advice from a family lawyer and request an order stopping the child from being removed from the countryContact the police if the abduction is expected to take place within the next 48 hoursKeep the child's passport in a safe placeCall the Foreign Office's Child Abduction Section on 020 7008 0878

Source: FCO

The lack of international agreement in countries that have not signed up makes negotiations extremely complex for UK authorities.

Foreign Office (FCO) minister Jeremy Browne said this meant prevention was important.

"The FCO will do whatever we can to provide advice and support but our role is limited, not least because we cannot interfere in the laws of another country."

Between April 2010 and March 2011, the number of children being abducted to Pakistan fell from 24 to 21, and to India from 14 to nine. But abductions to Algeria rose from zero to nine.

There were 105 abductions to non-treaty countries in 2008-09.

Warning signs

The FCO's Child Abduction Section dealt with a total of 264 new cases of parental abduction in the past 12 months, including cases involving countries covered by the Hague convention.

These cases are then passed on to one of three central authorities covering England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Continue reading the main story

Kept in Australia by father following a holiday aged 12.

Her mother initiated court proceedings as country is part of Hague convention.

Faced verbal and emotional abuse for the nine months it took her to be returned home.

Suffered childhood depression and became suicidal from coping with trauma and protecting sister.

Says it took her 15 years to come to terms with experience and is still tackling depression.

The government will be promoting its awareness campaign on parenting websites Mumsnet and the Fatherhood Institute.

Sharon Cooke, from the Reunite International Child Abduction Centre, said there were warning signs which parents should look out for - the most obvious being the breakdown of a relationship.

Other warning signs include: a sudden interest in getting a passport or a copy of a birth certificate for the child; a parent expressing a wish to holiday alone with the child; or a sudden change in circumstances, including leaving a job or accommodation.

She said statistics for January to May 2011 showed a 21% increase in the number of abductions to non-treaty states compared with the same period last year.

"The psychological impact on children can be traumatic and for the left-behind parent, the shock and loss are unbearable, particularly if they don't know where their child is," she said.

Ms Cooke told BBC Breakfast the experience was "very difficult both for the left behind parent and for the child".

She added that it does not just affect the youngster's childhood, but often "carries on into their adulthood as well".

And she warned that, beyond official figures, there may be "many more" cases of abductions that authorities are unaware of.

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New fees system 'baffles parents'

13 June 2011 Last updated at 16:46 GMT Fees protests in London last year ended in violence several times Half of parents feel they have not received enough information about the new university tuition fees system, research suggests.

And a third of the 630 parents of 13-21-year-olds quizzed for Universities UK said they had little or no understanding of the new system.

UUK president Sir Professor Steve Smith said the need for clear and accessible information was "paramount".

The government has launched a public information campaign on the issue.

It has allowed universities in England from 2012 to treble their yearly tuition fees to ?9,000. These will be paid, as now, by the government on behalf of students in the form of student loans.

Graduates then pay back the costs of these directly from their pay once they begin earning more than ?21,000.

Interest rates will be up to 3% plus inflation, depending on earnings, for graduates who started university in 2012, although they could potentially rise to market rates in later years.

'Fairer'

The research, carried out online by YouGov for the university umbrella group, also suggested a third of parents were now more likely to be involved with their child's university choice.

This was mainly in response to the political debate and coverage in the media, it suggested.

But more than half these parents think universities should explain how they will spend the new fee income.

Some 56% think universities should spell out how a degree can improve a student's career prospects after they finish their studies.

Sir Steve said university staff and managers had concerns over the way information about the new fees and funding package in England has been communicated.

"As vice-chancellors we are aware that it is more important than ever that our universities go out and tell a positive story of what we can offer prospective students," he added.

Financial support

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "We must ensure that prospective students are not put off applying to university because they do not understand the new system.

"Going to university depends on ability - not the ability to pay."

He insisted the new system was fairer and more affordable for the nation than the present system.

And he underlined that no student would be asked to pay upfront costs, and said there would be more financial support for poorer students.

Those who go on to earn the highest incomes would pay the most after graduating, he added.

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Parents ponder paying for teacher

11 May 2011 Last updated at 08:29 GMT Parents at Melrose Primary in the Borders are exploring the possibility of paying for a teacher Parents at a Borders primary school are considering paying for a teacher out of their own pockets in the face of anticipated council cutbacks.

They are willing to spend up to ?30,000-a-year to ensure teacher levels at Melrose Primary are not reduced.

A spokesman for the EIS teaching union said it was the first time he had heard of such a proposal in Scotland.

The move has won support from parent council members who are now studying the legalities.

The issue was raised at a meeting with Scottish Borders Council's director of education Glenn Rodger involving parents from the 342-pupil school.

Parent council spokesman Jamie Buchanan said there were growing concerns that staffing numbers in Melrose might come "under the microscope".

"We are seeking clarity on how the education department intends to reduce their budgets over the next year, and while we remain unclear about the future we must seek a variety of options," he said.

Continue reading the main story

It would be disappointing if parents felt so strongly they had to go this far but we understand why they would want to do that”

End Quote Brian Cooper Educational Institute for Scotland "We are currently investigating the legalities of paying for a teacher separately, but we need to maintain the excellent work that is ongoing at the school and having the right number of teachers is essential."

Scottish Borders Council's education convener George Turnbull did not rule out the idea.

He said: "If this move was to come about, it certainly would be unique in this area, and with the continued financial pressure we will be under over the next few years we must investigate all the options that are presented to us.

"There is no doubt that any such move would need to meet strict criteria, as I would not like to see one teacher with different working conditions.

"I am already aware of other parent councils in other parts of Scotland who have paid for specialist items within schools but to spend around ?30,000 on a teacher is certainly quite innovative."

He confirmed that due to the size of the school roll, teacher numbers could be reduced from 14 to 13 next year and still meet Scottish government guidelines for class sizes.

Mr Rodger is currently working out staffing levels for the forthcoming 2011/12 year at all schools in the Scottish Borders

He said: "I met with parents in Melrose to discuss a range of issues around provision of education.

"Staffing was one area that was discussed and a number of suggestions were made.

"We have agreed to follow up ideas in principle and the notion of parents and communities becoming more involved in education locally was one interesting discussion area."

'Adequate funding'

Brian Cooper of the Educational Institute of Scotland said it was the first time he had heard of parents paying for a teacher's salary north of the border.

He said: "Obviously the preference is for adequate funding to be provided at national and local authority for education.

"But we fully understand that parents want the best for their children.

"There is a long history of parents actively supporting schools with equipment and donations but this would be a new angle to that by paying for a teacher's salary.

"It would be disappointing if parents felt so strongly they had to go this far but we understand why they would want to do that."

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