Property News · April 1, 2017

‘Cruel’ benefit cuts put pressure on grieving families


Benefits paid out when a husband or wife dies are being slashed, meaning those who do suffer such heartache will miss out on tens of thousands of pounds. Now bereaved families are speaking out.Helen Parker is struggling to put into words how she felt when her 43-year-old husband Philippe died from cancer last year. “Fear,” she says finally. “I felt fear. Knowing I was on my own, that I was solely responsible for our two sons, that every penny would count. I had no idea how I would cope.”Helen earns just £6,000 a year as a part-time early years education inspector. It was a huge relief to discover she was entitled to claim bereavement benefits until her youngest child Elliot, who was six when his dad died, leaves full-time education in up to 13 years’ time. This “benefit” is based on Philippe’s 20 years of national insurance contributions – it’s the money he paid into the state pension system from which he will now never claim. Helen doesn’t feel particularly lucky to be getting this cash – she feels it is only right that the money her husband paid into the tax system is being paid out to support his bereaved children while they are in education. But she is far more fortunate than some people who are reading this article will turn out to be. Continue reading…

Source : theguardian.com
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