Lisa White has been relying on Universal Credit and child benefits since her partner David was signed off work due to mental health issues.
Lisa White said the extra money will help get their kids into after-school clubs. (Image: The Mirror)
A mother-of-five will receive £2,770 monthly in benefits following the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap in this week’s Budget. Lisa White, 31, from Monmouth in South Wales, has five children aged between three and 10 that she raises with her partner, David White, 35. She calculated that she’ll receive an additional £900 in benefits thanks to Rachel Reeves‘ Budget.
The pair have been relying on Universal Credit and child benefits to make ends meet since David was signed off work due to mental health issues, and currently receive approximately £1,900 monthly in benefits. However, from April, Lisa said she’ll get a total of £2,770 per month. She said this will be “very beneficial” for her children, allowing her son to go to an after-school club.
Rachel Reeves scrapped the two-child benefit cap. (Image: Getty)
Up until now, Lisa and David had been unable to afford to enrol their children in any after-school activities, she said.
The two-child benefit cap prevented parents from claiming universal credit or tax credit for their third children onwards, brought in by the Conservatives in 2017.
Lisa added that her family have been finding it difficult to manage due to the increasing cost-of-living, with their food shopping for the seven-person household becoming “astronomical”.
She called it positive that kids who previously didn’t qualify for benefits are now “recognised as needing the same support as their older siblings.”
She said: “The cap being removed will improve my kids’ lives and open so much up for them. Money has been tight since Dave had to leave work, and now the food bill is where the main chunk of our money goes.
“My son Marley, nine, has really wanted to do football club. Now we’ll be able to pay for him to do that.
“And my daughter Layla, 10, loves dancing – and I can find a dance class for her. She’s amazing at it too. My other three are a bit younger but I’d like for them to do swimming lessons.
“The cap won’t be massively beneficial for me personally, financially, but it will let me see my children doing things that they love to do.
“It will help in the long run – it’s nice to know that we’ll get some extra money to put into our kids’ lives.”
