Malaise of the family no accident

A tsunami of social disintegration

 waiting to happen

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali has warned that the latest revelation of the scale of Britain's "underclass" - half a million problem families - is "only the tip of an iceberg which is lurking to shipwreck society".

He was commenting on an interview given to the Sunday Times by Louise Casey, the troubleshooter engaged by David Cameron in 2011 to turn round a problem then estimated at 120,000 failing families, following the urban summer riots.

Casey, Director General of Troubled Families, now calculates that the problem is four times greater with dysfunctional families blighting neighbourhoods and costing the taxpayer more than £30bn a year.

Bishop Michael says, "The impact of family failure is greater than Louise Casey estimates and it is increasing exponentially with the subliminal cost of associated social ills such as treating depression, anxiety, other related illnesses, disruption at school and in the workplace - all adding to the bill for dealing with the more conspicuous law and order costs."

He refers to the “Cost of Family Failure Index” produced by the Relationships Foundation which puts the cost of family breakdown at £46 billion – a 25% increase over five years – and the equivalent of every taxpayer in the UK paying £1,541 each year to pick up the pieces.

“The financial cost is of itself staggering - equivalent to the entire UK defence budget - and yet it doesn’t take into account the continuing emotional and Spiritual cost to the millions of adults and children damaged by family disintegration,” says the Bishop.

Dismantling marriage

Bishop Nazir-Ali says the political, social and spiritual challenge facing the UK is "a tsunami of social disintegration waiting to happen".

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