Bishop of Selby backs calls for Universal Credit uplift to be kept
The Rt Revd Dr John B Thomson has signed an open letter with other church leaders.
The Bishop of Selby has joined over 1,100 church leaders in calling on the Government to scrap the £20 Universal Credit cut.
People in church leadership positions, with the support of two anti-poverty charities, are calling on the plans to cut Universal Credit by £20 a week from next month to be stopped.
In the letter to Boris Johnson, created in partnership with Church Action on Poverty and Christians Against Poverty, the church leaders say:
"Dear Prime Minister,
"We stand together as church leaders from across the UK to urge you to think again about cutting Universal Credit payments by £20 a week from the start of October.
"If the Government persists with this cut, it would be the single biggest overnight reduction in the basic rate of social security since the welfare state was established in the 1940s. Millions of low income households will be swept further into poverty as a result.
"As Christians, we are compelled by the gospel imperative to prioritise the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable. As church leaders, we must speak up, because of the impact this will have on our poorest neighbours and church members.
"We urge the Government to choose to build a just and compassionate social security system that our whole society can have confidence in. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, poorer people in communities all over the country were suffering because the lifelines they needed from our social security system and vital neighbourhood services were not strong enough.
"Analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown that the cut will particularly hit the north of England, the West Midlands, Wales and Northern Ireland. Rather than levelling up the UK, this will compound existing inequalities.
"The loss of £1,040 a year will be devastating for many families at a time when energy bills and other household costs are increasing. Instead we can make sure our social security system brings stability, and opens up options and opportunities for people whose income is too low or insecure to make ends meet.
"The cut has already been opposed by community groups up and down the country, charities, six former Conservative Work and Pensions Secretaries, and many MPs from all parties. This is an opportunity for the Government to send a message that it listens, and recognises the pressure faced by those on the breadline.
"Universal Credit has been a vital lifeline throughout the pandemic. For the sake of millions of families, it must be retained at its current level, and we therefore reiterate the calls for the planned £20 a week cut to be withdrawn".
The Bishop of Selby, Rt Revd Dr John B Thomson, said: "I signed this open letter because this proposed cut comes at a time when the future of the pandemic remains uncertain and at the very point when the furlough scheme ends.
"It will also coincide with significant increased costs for electricity and gas just when the weather begins to turn and is a concern which has been expressed widely by all organisations who work with the poorest, and those who monitor the impact of such policies on them. I accept that this is a major cost to the nation as a whole but believe that those in most need must be protected by the nation.
"It's all about how God views society and its behaviours. We're not out of the woods with the pandemic, as it's a perfect storm at a time when people are pretty vulnerable.
"That message that the cost of what's happening is loaded onto the poorest people is not a good one, and I think it's not one that we as a society would be proud about.
"The sort of people who are on Universal Credit tend to be working, but they can't make ends meet. The message I'm getting is that this is going to hurt a lot of people.
"The issue of judgement is that God in the Christian vision judges a society on how it cares for its most vulnerable, and we have a tradition in this country of seeking to ensure that the poorest don't go to the wall. This cut might push people into more forms of debt.
"I recognise that it's very difficult for the Government, and they have to be commended for the furlough system and this initial uplift. But why are we under-taxing assets? There are some iniquities to deal with".
A Government spokesperson said: "We’ve always been clear that the uplift to Universal Credit was temporary and designed to help people through the toughest stages of the pandemic. Now as the economy recovers it is right to focus on getting people into work and the economy back on track.
"Our £400bn Plan for Jobs is giving people the skills and opportunities they need to get back into work, progress their careers and earn more."
Additional information:
· Throughout this crisis, the Government has spent over £400bn protecting people’s jobs, livelihoods and supporting businesses and public services. We extended economic support as we continue on the road to recovery, right through to the end of September in order to support those who most need it. That includes unprecedented welfare support.
· More than £9bn will have been spent on the Universal Credit uplift by the time it ends in September. It is right that economic support is wound down as we come out of this crisis and we focus on helping people back into work, and supporting people to progress in work.
· Children in households where every adult is working are around five times less likely to be in poverty than households where nobody works. That is why our focus now is on our multi-billion pound Plan for Jobs, which will support people in the long-term by helping them learn new skills and increase their hours or find new work.
· We also have a comprehensive childcare offer in place for working parents, as well as further help in place for families with the cost of living - including by maintaining nearly £1 billion of additional housing support through Local Housing Allowance rates.