Single parents’ charity Gingerbread campaigns against CSA fees
Single parents’ charity Gingerbread has launched a petition to stop the government from levying a charge on usage of the Child Support Agency.
The CSA – which will soon become the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) – will charge a one-off fee of £20 when parents first approach it for assistance, and will then take a 4% cut of any payments made via the service .
Gingerbread say the 4% collection charge will be an ‘added financial burden on single parents who are already struggling to make ends meet and who rely on the Child Maintenance Service to help them receive any maintenance at all’.
Under the new rules, lone parents who have suffered an abusive relationship with their former partner will be exempt from paying the initial £20 charge, but will still have the 4% deduction made from their payments.
Gingerbread want to stop the introduction of the charge, and ask that government ‘continue to offer a free-to-access maintenance collection service for the single parents and children who need it’.
The petition can be accessed here or at http://gingerbread.org.uk/content/1935/Support-children-protect-child-maintenance
What do you think about these proposed changes?
About the Author
Kelly Rose Bradford is a London-based journalist and broadcaster, writing for the Daily Mail, the Daily Express, the Sunday Telegraph, and a host of women's magazines. Her robust opinions and feisty debating skills make her in demand as a social commentator, regularly guesting on ITV's This Morning programme, and across many radio stations, including 5 Live and BBC Radio London.
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