Lone parent households lose more than any other demographic type in terms of final income in all three countries.
This is from the November 2018 report (pdf) from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the impact of changes to public spending on protected groups in England, Scotland and Wales up to the tax year 2021 to 2022.
The report finds:
- Overall public spending per head is forecast to fall by around 18% (just over £900) in England between 2010/11 and 2021/22, 5.5% (just under £300) in Wales and just over 1% (around £100) in Scotland. By 2021/22, overall spending per head will be 36% higher in Scotland than in England and 17% higher in Wales than in England.
- The differences between the countries are particularly acute for households with lower incomes. Cash losses for lower deciles are larger in England than Wales or Scotland due to the overall scale of cuts in spending being far greater in England.
- In England, losses are smallest (at around £900) for households with the highest incomes. Cuts to schools, transport and housing spending have the largest impact for poorer households.
- In Scotland, the largest losses from cuts (just over £450 per year) fall on some of the lowest income households (but not the lowest), but richer households have slightly larger losses than poorer ones. Cuts to schools, and to higher education (HE) and further education (FE) spending, are the main reasons for losses.
- In Wales, the impact of spending cuts fluctuates more by household income decile than in England or Scotland. Cuts to HE and FE spending have the largest impact of any single spending category.
