Dalston councillor unites Town Hall in advocacy for single parents’ rights

Labour and the Conservatives united at the Town Hall this week in support of a motion brought by Dalston councillor Soraya Adejare calling on the government to add single parents as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act.

Councillors of both parties spoke from their own family experiences during the debate, which focused on the campaign for Single Parents’ Rights, set up by Hackney resident Ruth Talbot, in response to the discrimination frequently faced by solo parents in modern society.

Around 2.9 million people in the UK, or one in four parents, are single parents, with the motion brought by Dalston councillor Soraya Adejare, a single parent herself, pointing to the discrimination they face in the workplace, housing, benefits, taxation and more.

Cllr Soraya Adejare said: “Less than fifty years ago, single parents in Ireland were being consigned to homes for unmarried mothers or mental institutions, often abused and commonly deprived of their children. This occurred within a society that embraced judgmentalism and a perverse sense of morality.

“Lone parenting is not a new phenomenon, nor should it be viewed as a corrupted version of the family structure. It has always been part of human existence and will continue to be so ad infinitum. Despite common assertions to the contrary, as one of the 25 per cent of our population heading a lone parent family, I work tirelessly to provide my daughter with an enriching childhood despite the punitive obstacles I encounter at every turn, obstacles which should not be permissible.

“Single parenthood to a certain degree is a battle. There is a constant war in terms of employment rights, accessing other kinds of services, there is always some kind of obstacle for you just trying to do the best for your family. The narrative surrounding us is as if there was a one size fits all approach to being a family .

“I don’t want my child to grow up feeling as if she was in some way lesser than have two parents. She is a loved child, I do the best that I can possible do for her, and this narrative and the resulting actions from organisations in relation to this is inexcusable.”

Adejare went on to criticise social commentary characterising lone parents as “devoid of morality or responsible for bringing about an immoral underclass,” pointing to ‘Broken Britain’ rhetoric used by politicians linking social issues to lone parent families.

Cllr Sophie Cameron, who seconded the motion, told of the campaign’s origins when its founder wrote a letter to Dominic Cummings in the wake of the scandal around his journey during lockdown last year, highlighting that the “exceptional circumstances” cited as the reason for his travel to Durham were in fact normal circumstances for single parents.

Cameron added: “The law has not kept up with modern family structures, despite one in four parents being single parents, they are regularly discriminated against, both directly and indirectly as a result of their status, and have no specific protection in law to fall back on.”

The motion also attracted cross-party support from Conservative councillors, with Cllr Harvey Odze saying “The fact that there is no protection for these people in law is more than an oversight, I think it is a disgrace.”

Almost 70 per cent of single parents are employed, while a third of children in working single parent homes live in poverty and almost 30 per cent (double that of coupled parents) report mental health concerns.

Cllr Adejare’s motion commits the Town Hall to now advocate for single parent rights, and to work with local and national Government to ensure that single parents become a protected characteristic in the Equality Act,

The motion points to obstacles faced by lone parents in recruitment, professional development and promotion, as well as difficulties accessing privately rented properties, especially for those relying on housing benefit.

Discrimination can also be found in the way child benefit is calculated, with the motion pointing out that a couple earning £98,000 combined received full child benefit for one child, while a single parent on £60,000 with two children receives no child benefit.

The motion also points to couples’ ability to access double the amount of childcare vouchers while both are working, regardless of the actual amount they spend on childcare, with other discounts available across a range of sectors for two-parent families.

Though the motion makes clear that economic and social disadvantage is experineced by single parents regardless of gender, Cllr Sharon Patrick pointed out: “Traditionally most single parents have been women. I know not all single parents are women, and women have been forced to be both carer and breadwinner, often with little support from society.

“This has gone on for time immemorial, however they become single parents, and the state has done nothing to support single parents, often women in the past.”

Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville said: “There has always been a real challenge over stigma and language here, the broken home narrative, and taht there were good and bad single parents, as if somehow they had control over what had happened to them and the children paid the price.

What we are seeing here is a really passionate righting of those wrongs, and recognising all the different types of families that have been spoken about, and all the different types of challenges that they face.”

Responding to the motion’s passing, Single Parents’ Rights campaign founder Ruth Talbot said: “Single parents have faced stigma and discrimination for decades. In the first national lockdown single parents were left to struggle alone without any consideration.

“This was not new though, single parents are often forgotten and discriminated against. We are overcharged for days out, pushed out of work by unsupportive employees, and prevented from renting houses. Yet despite this, we aren’t protected in UK law.

“We are thrilled that Hackney Council has passed this motion to support us in and we look forward to working with them to end discrimination towards single parents in Hackney.”

Laurence Guinness, Chief Executive of The Childhood Trust stated, “Being a parent is one of life’s most important responsibilities which is why single parents must be granted protected status in law to stop the appalling levels of discrimination and hardship currently suffered by so many single parent families.

“It is very encouraging that Hackney Council have recognised this by unanimously voting to support this campaign.”

You can find out more about the campaign here – https://www.singleparentrights.org/