EXCLUSIVE: 1 in 6 young people on Universal Credit fear they'll skip meals if it's cut
458,000 people aged 16 to 34 say they’re ‘very likely’ to need to skip meals if the cut is introduced in October
We've been given exclusive figures showing 1 in 6 young people aged between 16 and 35 on Universal Credit in Britain fear they won't be able to put food on the table from next month.
The £20-a-week uplift introduced at the start of the pandemic is set to end in October, leaving more than 100 thousand people in the North West struggling to pay bills.
New research conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Trussell Trust* finds that 1 in 6 people currently claiming Universal Credit in the region – representing 121,000 people –say they are ‘very likely’ to need to skip meals when the cut hits.
Furthermore, a quarter of people surveyed in the North West –representing 181,000 people – told researchers they would struggle to heat their homes this winter if their income is slashed in October.
Worryingly, 13% of people surveyed from the area – representing 98,000 people – also say they are very likely to be forced to a food bank if the cut is introduced next month.
The Trussell Trust, which supports a nationwide network of more than 1,300 food bank centres, is part of a coalition of 100 organisations that is urgently calling on the UK government to stop the cut as part of the Keep the Lifeline campaign.
They're particularly concerned about young people, who rely on Universal Credit at the start of their careers, or when they have a young family.
The data shows of people aged 16 to 34 in Britain claiming Universal Credit:
• 458,000 say they’re ‘very likely’ to need to skip meals if the cut is introduced in October (1 in 6)
• 431,000 say they’re ‘very likely’ to not be able to heat their homes this winter (1 in 6)
• 350,000 say they’re ‘very likely’ to need support from a food bank (1 in 8)
The cut comes amid growing need at food banks throughout the charity’s network during the pandemic, as well as year-on-year increases in numbers of emergency food parcels distributed to people who are living in crisis.
The Trussell Trust’s chief executive Emma Revie says it doesn’t have to be like this and is urging the public to write to local MPs calling on them to take action.
Emma Revie, chief executive at the Trussell Trust, said:
“Cutting this lifeline will be a devastating blow for thousands of people in the North West already struggling to make ends meet. These are families already caught in impossible situations who worry every day about switching on the heating and feeding their children. Families who are nearly at breaking point but just about managing to keep their heads above water.
“This research reveals the shocking consequences of what lies ahead if this lifeline is cut in October. No one should have to suffer the indignity of not being able to afford the essentials in life – like food or heating. That’s why we’re saying it would be wrong of the UK government to take away £20 a week from already precarious incomes and push even more people through the doors of food banks.
“The answer must be to ensure our social security system provides people with enough money to cover the essentials. At the very least we’re saying this October, the UK government must choose to protect people and choose to keep the lifeline."
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