Domestic heartbreak costs UK £44bn

Published on Sunday 5 February 2012 00:00

FAMILY breakdowns cost British society almost £44 billion a year, a new report has claimed – amounting to £1,470 for every taxpayer.

The Relationships Foundation has today published its annual cost of family breakdown index, which shows that the cost of failed relationships to the public purse was 5.3 per cent higher than last year.

The report takes into account health and social care expenses associated with broken relationships, as well as benefits such as payments made to lone parents and the cost of supporting young people through times of hardship – through means such as free school meals – and disciplinary and behavioural problems.

The report said: “Despite living in an era of austerity brought about by the recession and in the face of imminent public spending cuts, taxpayers continue to shoulder a huge financial burden when family fails.”

It added that research showed that family breakdown reduces health, wealth and wellbeing – which can cause stress and more problems.

“This £43.94bn spending burden is unsustainable in any economic climate, let alone the current one. It can only be reduced by supporting and encouraging relationships,” added the report.

Health-related costs such as social services contributed the largest amount to the figure compiled by the report’s authors at £14.14bn, with the cost of tax credits and lone parents benefits at £13.33bn in 2012.

“Our view is that if you sideline family policy you court systemic failure: this was surely one of the lessons of last summer’s rioting,” said Michael Trend, executive director of the foundation.

“Following the publication of our new family pressure gauge last May, which showed families in the UK being among the most pressured in Europe, the publication of our fourth annual cost of family breakdown index shows yet another steep rise. Not only a steep rise in the economic costs that the government can ill afford to meet even in good times, but also a steep rise in the price paid in the broken hearts and broken dreams.”

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Danielrober2

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 09:36 AM

Divorces and affairs can cause ripples which go on for years. Lawyers and relationship councillors, though do make things better. Many of my friends parents divorced in the 1980s and the pain continues for years.

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Hector the Lessor

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 07:34 AM

Well you could go back to the old setup. Where adultery was involved, you had the guilty, which would naturally cost them an arm and a leg, and the innocent who got the house, the kids most of the money and got to sue the adulterer. Never catch on nowadays.

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allymax

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 04:37 AM

Dont'cha just despise 'family 'aw' solicitors? Dundee fem 'Family law' solicitors are the worst; they couldn't care two monkeys about the kids they break away from their fathers. Too interested in making that money !

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