SINGLE parents more likely to experience problem debt and live in persistent poverty, with many forced to go without food to make repayments, a new report has revealed. 

The charity Gingerbread has found that 82 per cent of Britain’s two million single parents, most of whom are women, do not have enough income to meet living costs and are being forced to borrow money, ending up in debt.

Single parents were also unable to work their way out of debt, the research shows.

Those who worked full-time hours were more likely to be in problem debt, with increased childcare costs being the main cause. 

Single parents were more likely to use credit to pay for childcare the more hours they worked.

Gingerbread chief executive Victoria Benson said: “Before the pandemic around 70 per cent of single parents were in work but this didn’t protect them or their children from poverty.

“It’s shocking that in 2021 so many are forced to go hungry in order to repay debts built up as their income doesn’t even cover basic living costs.”

Ms Benson said it was crucial for the government to protect low-income families from further poverty by maintaining the £20 uplift to universal credit, which is due to end in April, and removes the benefit cap. 

She also urged the government to review the childcare offering, adding: “It cannot be right that single parents actually work their way into debt rather than out of it.”

The report shows that in order to make their debt repayments, 66 per cent of single parents have gone without food and 20 per cent have been forced to cut back on food for their children.