Here's why single parents could decide the general election
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Version 0 of 1. There are enough single parents living in marginal seats to decide who wins May’s general election, according to a new analysis. The number of single parents outstrips the majority of the sitting MP in 96 of the 100 most marginal parliamentary seats, researchers at the charity Gingerbread found. With the latest polls showing the battle to win a majority in parliament on a knife-edge, the group could potentially decide which party governs Britain. The marginal constituency with the most single parents is Brent Central, where 6,786 live – dwarfing the Liberal Democrats’ 1,345 majority there. Between 2,000 and 4,000 single parents live in most marginals. All three of the main parties have stressed improvements to childcare in their manifesto, a policy likely to appeal to the group. Labour says it would increase the free childcare allowance for three and four year olds from 15 to 25 hours a week and invest to double the number of SureStart places. All the parties are fighting to defend seats where single parents could be key The Liberal Democrats want to extend the existing 15 hour entitlement to two year olds and say they have a long-term ambition to increase the allowance to 20 hours. Younger children from families where both parents worked could also be entitled to childcare. The Conservative approach is to double the existing 15 hour allowance to 30 hours a week, but only offer this to families where all parents are working. Ukip wants to reduce the cost of childcare, while the Green Party says it would extend nursery entitlement for three- and four-year-olds. Not all policies have been tested to appeal to families with one parent, however. The Conservatives’ proposed tax break for married couples would effectively redistribute money away from single parents to those who were married. Gingerbread also says families have been wrongly singled out by the Coalition's benefit sanctions regime. “Politicians of all parties cannot afford to ignore the voting power of single parents at this election,” Gingerbread Chief Executive Fiona Weir said. “Close to 9 in 10 of the single parents we polled earlier this year said they were likely to vote and our analysis shows the impact they could have, particularly in marginal seats. “Parents say that politicians don’t understand some of the most important issues they face, but this election is single parents’ opportunity to let candidates know what would make life better for their families.” Single parents head one in four families with dependent children, according to the Office for National statistics. The Gingerbread charity, which support and campaigns on behalf of single-parent families, has launched a voter-registration drive for the group to ensure their interests are represented. The voter registration deadline to be able to vote in the general election is 20 April 2015. You can register online HERE. The Independent has got together with May2015.com to produce a poll of polls that produces the most up-to-date data in as close to real time as is possible. Click the buttons below to explore how the main parties' fortunes have changed: All data, polls and graphics are courtesy of May2015.com. Click through for daily analysis, in-depth features and all the data you need. (All historical data used is provided by UK Polling Report) |