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Brown's get-tough measures 'put single mothers in ghettos'
Gordon Brown has been accused of ghettoising single mothers with a raft of measures he outlined to get tough on anti-social behaviour in his make or break speech at the Labour Party conference.
The Prime Minister announced that 16 and 17-year-old parents who get support from the taxpayer will be placed in a network of supervised homes rather than the existing system where a teenage mother to be can be "given the keys to a council flat and be left on her own".
But single parent charity Gingerbread said Mr Brown was wrong to suggest teen mothers were left in isolation as young people under 18 are not allowed to hold a council tenancy and urged the Government not to make "misleading" claims.
And the Tories dismissed the proposal, claiming it was promised ten years ago and never delivered.
Mr Brown told Labour Party delegates at the Brighton conference: "I do think it's time to address a problem that for too long has gone unspoken, the number of children having children. For it cannot be right, for a girl of sixteen, to get pregnant, be given the keys to a council flat and be left on her own.
"These shared homes will offer not just a roof over their heads, but a new start in life where they learn responsibility and how to raise their children properly."
Gingerbread chief executive Fiona Weir said it was vital politicians did not reinforce "damaging myths about young parents".
"Just three per cent of all births in 2007, the latest available data, were to mothers under 18 and teenagers make up just two per cent of single parents.
"Far from 'being handed the keys to a council flat' young people under 18 are in fact not allowed to hold a tenancy.
"More investment in making this supported accommodation a reality across the country would be welcome – but it must not be accompanied by rhetoric that risks reinforcing myths about teenage parents."
Lords Leader Baroness Royall defended the proposals and said they formed part of a "socially responsible" speech by Mr Brown. She said: "He is not talking about ghettoising single mothers, he is talking about helping them on their way to be better parents and members of society."
The Government is to make available 30m to local authorities over the next three years to bring in 500 new places in an existing chain of "foyers", which provide accommodation as well as advice on work, welfare and training to young people.
Between 10 and 100 young people live in each foyer, run by principals supported by a team of workers who apply strict rules.
Youngsters who break behaviour contracts can be thrown out or moved on to other homes.
By the end of 2012, all eligible 16 and 17-year-olds – including young parents – who apply for social housing will be offered a place in one of the units.
The measures were part of a number announced by the Prime Minister to tackle social problems. Local authorities will also be given the power to ban 24-hour drinking, the parents of persistent anti-social behaviour offenders will be targeted, action squads sent into problem estates and 50,000 of the "most chaotic families" given strict rules to live by.
Mr Brown admitted extended drinking hours were not working in some parts of the country and said where there is persistent trouble from binge drinking, local people will be given the right to make pubs and clubs pay for cleaning up their neighbourhood and making it safe.
Mr Brown said: "We will never allow teenage tearaways or anybody else to turn our town centres into no go areas at night times.
"We thought that extended hours would make our city centres easier to police and in many areas it has.
"But it's not working in some places and so we will give local authorities the power to ban 24- hour drinking throughout a community in the interests of local people."
The measures were attacked by the Conservative Party Chairman Eric Pickles.
"Gordon Brown announced parenting orders, drink banning orders and family intervention projects – which were all reannounced policies," he said.
"Under Labour, there are 10,000 incidents of anti-social behaviour every day, and anti-social behaviour costs the taxpayer 3.4bn per year.
"He promised a system of supervised homes, or hostels, for teenage mothers.
"But this policy was first announced more than a decade ago, and has never been delivered," Mr Pickles added.
CLAMPDOWN ON THE ANTI-SOCIAL
50,000 most chaotic families to be targeted with family intervention projects – binding contracts requiring parents of children guilty of anti-social behaviour to accept one-to-one support or lose their benefits.
Parents of repeat ASBO offenders to be targeted.
Specialist action squads to be sent into problem estates.
16 and 17-year-old single parents to live in state-run shared houses rather than council flats.
Local authorities to be able to ban 24-hour drinking.
Courts to be encouraged to issue more drinking banning orders against any-one convicted of a crime who was under the influence.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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