Citizens Advice Wiltshire urging government to scrap Universal Credit cut
Concerns plans to cut Universal Credit will impact Wiltshire residents
Citizens Advice Wiltshire is urging the government to scrap a cut to Universal Credit.
The cut would impact one in nine working-age people in the county, which Citizens Advice Wiltshire says is “not the right time”.
This autumn, Universal Credit claimants will see the £20 uplift cut which will leave millions with less support than they used to have.
This “safety net” that so many people have had, has helped them throughout the pandemic which saw a lot of people struggle for money.
Approximately 43 % of residents are set to see their benefits drop are families with children, according to the latest available figures.
As well as this, 44 % of these people are already in work.
Chief officer for Citizens Advice Wiltshire, Suzanne Wigmore said: “The uplift is there for a reason. The government added £20 – this was needed and we would very much argue that need is still there, it hasn’t gone away.
“Just because we are maybe moving back to a more normal life, the financial effects of the pandemic will continue for quite a long term.
“We are seeing them be furloughed, we are seeing their working hours increase, we’re seeing people being made redundant. So for me, it’s not the right time to do this.
Since March last year, staff and volunteers at the local charity have helped more than 2,300 people with Universal Credit.
The charity believe that the £20 a week increase has been a “lifeline” for people who were already struggling before the pandemic.
It also says it has supported people who were unfortunately hit by Covid job losses.
Wigmore added: “That £20 a week is making a massive difference to helping people pay their bills, it really is quite short term to think about doing this now – it’s really not a good time.
“People who ae going to be impacted are either going to have been made redundant, or they’ve had a loss of income because they’ve been on furlough, or they’re working and are on a much lower income than they were.
“This £20 uplift was a recognition that universal credit really wasn’t meeting the needs of the people that it is there to support – and their situations haven’t necessarily got any better.
“Until we see more people in Wiltshire going back to work, we would say please leave this uplift because there are families relying on it.”
As energy bills rise with the colder weather this autumn, the charity warns a cut to the benefits will see many struggle to afford their essential costs.
Some new benefits claimants may be unaware of the looming cut, and the charity fears a drop in income could be particularly difficult for these families and individuals.