DWP proposes bereavement benefits change for unmarried parents

The DWP is proposing extending bereavement benefits to unmarried parents co-habiting with loved ones at the time of death. Currently, Widowed Parent's Allowance and Bereavement Support Payments are only accessible by those in marriages or civil partnerships. Draft plans could see surviving partners with dependent children only having to have lived with the deceased at the time of death to access these benefits. The DWP estimated that over 22,000 families would be able to claim this support, which will be open to retrospective applications, totalling £320m in additional support. "Th...