| Child benefit cut: parents of 'nappy valley' react George Osborne's move provokes anger among middle-income families who feel working taxpayers are losing outThe independent clothes shops and restaurants of Beech Road, Chorlton, are a magnet for well-heeled parents who live in the south Manchester suburb. Such is its popularity with young bohemian families that the area has acquired the moniker "nappy valley".The £1bn cut to child benefit announced by George Osborne will hit many of the valley's residents and there was a sense of simmering anger among the parents today as they considered the announcement.Amanda Foley in Pottery Corner, a paint-your-own pottery studio, calculated that her family would lose £35,000 over 16 years, "which when you add it up is an awful lot of money".She has three sons: Samuel, three, Joseph, two, and three-week-old Oliver. Foley, a former teacher, said: "I do not work but my husband is a contractor and is well-paid so he will be above the threshold for claiming child benefit. But because I have three very young children it will have a knock-on effect on me."She believes the government must rethink its decision. "It is my pocket money and it will affect me because I don't have any other income – I regarded it as being paid to look after the children. But it does feel that it is my money that is being taken away."Foley finds it unfair that two working parents could earn £84,000 a year jointly and still claim child benefit.Melony Pentreath, the owner of Pottery Corner, has two children aged two and one. Her income is just below the threshold as is her husband's, so they will escape. "When I heard about it yesterday I thought it was another thing that would hit people who are in the middle – it always seems to be middle-earners who are hit really hard when they make cuts; the people who work really hard."She admits she does not need child benefit to live, but it was money she set aside for her children's university fees. Her husband Jason, a structural engineer, has taken a pay cut as the building industry has slowed. "I could understand why they took away the £250 when a child is born. But I was thinking of doing some consultancy work and this will make me think twice in case I earned too much, so it could very easily affect us." Pentreath also says that it could have an impact on her business if customers decide to cut back.Carolyn O'Neil, who lives in Cheadle Hulme with her husband and two children, Annabel, four, and Thomas, two, said they would not be affected as she doesn't work and her husband is a self-employed restaurateur.She said: "Previously when I've been paid child benefit I've thought, 'What on earth am I getting this money for?' Since then, I've given up work in risk management and my husband's become self-employed because of the recession. Now when we get child benefit I'm very grateful for it."I think it's right that people who have money shouldn't receive it. When I was earning it didn't make any difference to our lives whether we had it or not but now it does."At Battery Park cafe on Wythenshawe Road, Akshay Bhatnagar and his wife Manisha, who live in Liverpool, were having lunch with their young son. They will be affected by the change as Manisha is a part-time GP and now has no incentive to increase her hours as it means she will lose child benefit. "I would think twice about increasing the hours I work, especially if I was going to lose £2,000 a year in child benefit."I currently work two days a week because we have a four-year-old child and a two-year-old," she said. "At the moment I'm below the threshold." Her husband said he was irritated that the government appeared to be discriminating against families with children."Why didn't the government put an extra penny on income tax? I feel the government has just told lies before the election and it is not fair that this universal benefit is being scrapped."Back at Pottery Corner, Melanie Williams, who is on maternity leave from her job managing youth work projects, was cuddling her two-week-old daughter Jessie. "Part of me thinks it should just be paid to people who need it the most," she said. "But my husband – who works in environmental consultancy – is really annoyed about it as he has paid his taxes and it feels as if we are constantly losing out."Williams said she had not got used to receiving child benefit, as her daughter was so young, "but we could have saved the money for her university fees".She said she was not sure how they would fare without child benefit but is convinced that once it is gone, no politicians – "not even a Labour government" – will ever bring it back.Child benefitConservative conferenceGeorge OsborneParents and parentingChildrenConservativesHelen Carterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
'No time limit' on hostage probe The US/UK investigation into the failed rescue of British hostage Linda Norgrove should have no time limit on it, William Hague tells the BBC. bbc.co.uk |
Health and safety spells the end for cobblestones Health and safety spells the end for Britain's historic cobblestones. telegraph.co.uk |
Newspaper review Papers focus on leaked Iraq files bbc.co.uk |
The Isle of Nick Clegg Telegraph View: How much do the Deputy PM's choices on Desert Island Discs tell us about him? telegraph.co.uk |