Gingerbread, the single parent charity, has criticised the Government's new universal credit scheme, as ministers publish a list of 12 councils, which will be running pilot schemes.

The third sector organisation warned last week that more than one million working single parents would lose out when the new allowance was introduced in October 2013 and linked with personal tax allowances. ‘Unless remedial action is taken, those who lose out will be hard-working people whose wages still don't bring in enough to pay for their family's day-to-day essentials, including the majority of working single parents,' said Gingerbread chief executive, Fiona Weir.