Budget changes to hit single parents hardest, research reveals

Joseph Rowntree Foundation says for many low-paid workers, the national living wage will make them no better off because of benefit cuts

Single parents on low incomes face declining living standards over the next five years even if they work full time, as benefits cuts announced in the budget more than offset the introduction of George Osborne's "national living wage", according to new research.

A comprehensive analysis of the impact of the chancellor's budget, commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), identifies single-parent families as one of the groups to be hit hardest by the package of changes the chancellor announced on 8 July.