With the coming general election the political parties have been rolling out family friendly policies to win the crucial “family vote”. So we have put together a guide to the policies the major parties are using to tempt your vote.

There's been a lot in the news lately about tax credit breaks for married couples, as well as other discussions on how best government funds should be used to reduce child poverty in the UK. All the political parties have a slightly different idea about what they want to do, but it's all revolving around the family this year. So what do you need to know about this?

The Conservative Party: Reforming the tax and benefits system

The Conservatives are planning to help families in four ways, including tax reforms,  but a precise proposal has yet to be released. In their draft manifesto, they are proposing to recognise marriages and civil partnerships in the tax system with tax cuts similar to other European countries, as well as freezing council tax for 2 years, which they say would save families up to £200 a year.

In addition, the Tories want to fund more Sure Start visitors so families that need it most have the support they need before and after birth, right up till their child starts school. They also want to create flexible parental leave for parents with children under the age of 18. 

There was speculation at the end of last year that the Conservatives were planning to implement transferable tax allowance for married couples.  The idea was that wives or husbands who did not work should be able to transfer their tax allowance to their partner. But this has been ruled out by David Cameron because although it would benefit 41 percent of married couples, it would cost £4.9 billion.

The Institute of Fiscal Studies has found out that if you took the total married couple's transferable tax allowance and gave it to parents, the sum would help only 10,000 children out of poverty, while the same amount of money put into a working tax credit break would aid 100,000 children, and the child tax credit would help130,000.

Regardless, a full proposal is needed from the Conservatives before we can really see how much families could save.


The Labour Party: Support for All – the Families and Relationships Green Paper

The government has just released a new green paper with major proposals on targeted support for families. Concerning employment, Labour is proposing to improve flexible working for parents, raise awareness for family-friendly employment rights and review the notice period fathers have to give in order to get the two-week paternity leave.

Schools secretary Ed Balls wants to review the family justice system and try to find alternative ways for parents in the process of separating to resolve conflicts out of court. The mediation service is to be reviewed and improved, and “Parenting Together Apart” sessions are to be implemented for separating couples. Children of separating parents are to receive a guide on dealing with divorce and more counselling services are to be made available to them in schools.

In addition, grandparents are to be recognised in the legal system, removing the need to gain permission from the court before applying for contact with their grandchildren. Support will also be given to “kinship carers” - relatives, including grandparents, who take on the care of children because their parents are not able to.

Finally, every family with children under five, or expecting a child, will now be provided with a clear, minimum offer of services that they should receive across health, early learning and care and employment. Which builds on the transformation in early years services in the last ten years. Every new dad is to receive a “dad's guide” which will include information on  how to support and handle a new-born child, information on breastfeeding and supporting their partner.


The Liberal Democrat Party: Fair taxes for all, fair economy with jobs that last

The Liberal Democrats are proposing to overhaul the entire tax system. They want to overall taxes , with no one having to pay income tax on the first £10,000 they earn. They also want to introduce a tax on properties worth over £2 million, which would generate £700 in savings for everyone else.

Regarding children, the Lib Dems want to put an extra £2.5 million into schools to hire more teachers, create catch-up classes and reduce class sizes so that children get the attention they need. This would mean an average of £2,500 extra per pupil for  schools teaching the million most deprived children in the country. It would be funded by taking above-average earners out of the tax credit system. They would also like to phase out tuition fees over a period of 6 years reducing the amount of debt acquired while at university..


There's still time

There's still a few months to go before the elections, so some of the policies described above will probably be refined and elaborated on, so watch this space for more updates.