'It's still a constant struggle' – disabled single mother £500 a month worse off thanks to cuts in benefits

Hannah Leonard, who has achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder which causes dwarfism, says she lost working family tax credits and disability tax credits, worth around £500 a month combined under recent benefits changes. Abbie Wightwick reports

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DISABLED working single mother of a disabled child says she feels "penalised for being responsible" as a carer for her daughter with additional needs.

Hannah Leonard, mum to daughter Darcey, six, said she’s been left £500 a month worse off under planned recent benefits reforms.

She said it is “not right” that extra help is provided by the state based not only on household income, but also how many people earn that income.

She said if her salary working 30-hours a week as a social care practitioner for Denbighshire council was earned by her and a partner, they would be eligible for more benefits via Universal Credit than she is as a single person.

Hannah, 41, from Rhyl, who has achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder which causes dwarfism, said she has lost out on working family tax credits and disability tax credits, worth around £500 a month combined under recent benefits changes.

Hannah says she is in constant joint pain due to her condition, cannot walk far and is worried that Darcey, who does not have the condition, will soon be taller than her and harder to care for.

Darcey is autistic, non-verbal, has epilepsy and dysphasia, which affects her swallowing and speech. She communicates through an iPad and attends a local mainstream school with one-to one support.

She can walk and run but falls over a lot, said Hannah.

"It is still a constant struggle because my job is very intense, so by Friday I'm normally just shattered and trying to complete life admin, which there is never enough time for," she said. "My daughter needs constant watching because she climbs. She's always trying to get into something so we're always just on high alert. We're never getting that rest. We're never getting time to breathe.