Grandparents should have access to flexible working and childcare payments to stop them getting caught up in a "cycle of deprivation", according to a report from charity Grandparents Plus.

The Poor Relation? report finds that grandparents are increasingly single (from eight per cent 10 years ago to 15 per cent today) and on low incomes (from 18 per cent in 1998 to 26 per cent today). A third of grandparents under the age of 55 say they find it very difficult to cope financially.

Grandparents Plus is calling for:

• Grandparents to have access to flexible working
• Grandparent to be eligible for payment for childcare through tax credits if they enable parents to return to work
• Working grandparents able to take two weeks ‘granny leave’ in a baby’s first year – which would work in the same way paternity leave does now

The report is available to download from the Grandparents Plus website.