Stakes are incredibly high

In part 5 of our series highlighting Voter Registration Week, UNITElive spoke to single mum, Alison, who knows exactly just how hard life has become under the coalition government.

Alison is one of almost 2m single mothers and fathers in the UK, and, as with so many people who must take on the twin roles of sole breadwinner and parent all day, ever day — time and money are scarce.

“I’m a working mum raising a fourteen-year-old boy on my own,” said Alison. “It’s definitely not an easy thing to do, but I’d say the challenges I face are almost entirely financial.”

Alison lives in northwest London and works as a campaigns officer. Although she loves the work that she does, providing for herself and her son in one of the world’s most expensive cities is a constant struggle.

“I live in private rented accommodation, and I pay roughly £1400 a month on my rent – that’s about 60 per cent of my wages.”

Alison is part of a rapidly growing trend in private rented accommodation in the UK. In the past decade, the number of people renting privately has almost doubled, from just over 2m in 2003 to almost 4m last year.

Protections for renters are scarce in a largely unregulated market, which means that Alison must face the scourge of sudden rent hikes, insecure tenancies and being at the mercy of potentially unscrupulous landlords.

It’s through these very personal struggles that Alison finds her rationale for voting.

“Without the vote, people like you and me have absolutely no influence whatsoever. If I want something to change in my life and the lives of others like me facing similar struggles, then I have to vote for a party or candidate that will support policies that I believe in – for example, rent controls.”

Alison also notes that voting is a duty in a democracy, a right that many people throughout history fought for.

“Women fought for the right to vote – some died for it, so it’s absolutely critical we way take part. That’s how I’ve raised my son, to believe that it’s only through participation that a democracy actually works the way it should.”

Alison believes the stakes in upcoming election in May are incredibly high.

“It’s likely going to be a very close election, which makes it all the more important that we get as many people as we can to get out and vote,” she explained. “If a government comes to power without a clear mandate from enough people who voted, then we’ll have five more years of a government like the one we have now.”

Alison says she’s experienced palpable differences in her life since the coalition government took the helm five years ago.
“Before the current government was in charge, I was able to go back to university and get a degree as a mature student, which has considerably increased my earnings potential,” she said.

“The only way I was able to do that as a single mum was because of all the support from the government I was given. I would never have been able to do that now. Life has only become harder under the ConDem government; single mums like me are completely marginalised.”

Do you want to have a say in the way our government is run in the next five years? Be sure you’re registered by the deadline on April 20, and join Unite’s coalition campaign, #NoVoteNoVoice. Find out more here.