The Labour Party's Pledge To Review Child Maintenance

With the general election coming up on 7th May 2015, the parties are doing all that they can to try and secure the votes.

In a bid to try and win over single parents, the Labour Party has recently announced that they will carry out a review of the Child Maintenance Service if they win in May, to include an immediate review of the charges that were introduced by the current Coalition Government in 2012.

At present, there is a £20 fee payable to the Child Maintenance Service when registering with them. There are also further charges if the Child Maintenance Service is asked to collect payments from the non-resident parent.

The announcement was made by Helen Goodman, the Shadow Minister for the Labour Party, who said the following: - 

“David Cameron pledged that his government would be the most family friendly ever, but he has left single parents fending for themselves. This government introduced charges for accessing the child maintenance service, despite the fact that their own assessment said this would put parents off applying. They have also failed to tackle the shocking growth in maintenance arrears.

“Child maintenance can make all the difference – lifting one in five of the poorest families above the poverty line. It is children and lone parents who are paying the price of this government’s callousness and incompetence. Labour will review the Child Maintenance Service and make sure it works in the interests of the child.”