The Department for Work and Pensions has been urged to give millions of low-income families a £25 per week boost.
The government has been urged to reverse the decision to end the £20 per week Universal Credit top-up that was implemented during the pandemic. The increase, which amounted to an extra £1,560 per year, was discontinued in October 2021, with the DWP stating that it was only ever intended as a temporary measure. However, according to Birmingham Mail, new research has shown that the removal of the upliftpushed 100,000 people into dire poverty during the 2022/2023 period.
David Linden, Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Social Justice) and a member of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee, has called for the reinstatement of the uplift, proposing an increase to £25 per week. He argued that the increase should not only apply to Universal Credit claimants but also to other means-tested benefits, resulting in a monthly payment increase of £100 for all eligible recipients.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Linden highlighted the impact of the removal of the uplift, stating, "The Joseph Rowntree Foundation's latest cost of living tracker found that 5.7 million low-income households are having to cut down or skip meals because they do not have enough money for food, while the number going without items such as food, heating, and basic toiletries has remained at about 7 million for more than a year - all of that in the sixth largest economy in the world."
The Institute for Fiscal Studies conducted research that revealed the £20 per week boost to Universal Credit lifted 379,000 people out of poverty in 2021/2022. Additionally, a change in the "taper rate," which determines the amount of Universal Credit deducted as individuals' wages increase, lifted 133,000 individuals out of poverty. Mr Linden emphasized the need for the government to reverse the cuts to the Universal Credit top-up, increase it to £25 per week, and extend it to means-tested legacy benefits to address the ongoing cost of living crisis.
In response, Guy Opperman, Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, highlighted the support already provided to those in need by the existing Universal Credit. He said: "Universal Credit, as we see, provides a massive amount of support on an ongoing basis, which is targeted to help those most impacted by rising prices throughout this financial year." He mentioned the various forms of targeted support, including cost of living payments and disability cost of living payments, as well as the winter fuel support payment. Mr Opperman also highlighted the efforts made by jobcentres to support individuals in finding employment and overcoming barriers to progression.
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