North Lanarkshire Council’s leader has written to the Work and Pensions Secretary in response to the cut to Universal Credit.
In a letter published on the council’s social media sites, Jim Logue requested that Therese Coffey reconsider the decision to drop the £20 per week increase to Universal Credit which was brought in at the start of the pandemic.
Councillor Logue writes: “The £1040 annual cut will have a damaging impact on over 34,000 residents in North Lanarkshire who are dependent on Universal Credit as either a sole source of income or to top up low wages.
“In North Lanarkshire pre-pandemic we had over 17,500 living in poverty, this will rise due to the impact of Covid on our communities.
“This cut will culminate in more of our children facing a life of poverty and inequality.
“This cut will be damaging to our communities who are facing lower incomes and higher costs of living.
“The cut will result in more people and children living in poverty facing a bleak winter with decisions such as heat or eat to be made.”
Universal Credit is claimed by more than 5.8 million people in England, Scotland and Wales.
Almost 40 per cent of them are classed as being in employment.
The standard allowance for a single person aged under 25 falls back from £79 a week to £59. That’s a drop of 25 per cent.
For a couple, where either one of them is 25 or over, their allowance drops from £137 a week to £117 - a fall of 15 per cent.
Ms Coffey has come under fire after being caught belting out karaoke just hours before the benefit cut took effect.
She was attending an invitation-only karaoke bash at the Tory conference in Manchester last night when she took the microphone.
Coffey chose to belt out the 1987 power ballad Time of My Life alongside fellow MP Will Quince, who was until recently the minister with direct responsibility for Universal Credit.
In response to a letter from the coalition of UK politicians urging a re-think, Ms Coffey said: “Now the economy has reopened it is right that the Government should focus on supporting people back into work and supporting those already employed to progress in their careers.
“Our ambition is to support two million people move into and progress in work through our comprehensive £33 billion Plan for Jobs.”
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