Southampton bosses urged to unite over Universal Credit plans
They want a stop to plans to end the £20-a-week bost
Southampton leaders have been asked to join forces in a bid to stop plans to end the £20-a-week boost to universal credit.
Labour leader Cllr Satvir Kaur has called on Southampton City Council leader Cllr Daniel Fitzhenry to sign a joint letter urging the Prime Minister to reverse the government decision.
The temporary £20 increase to universal credit payments was introduced in response to the pandemic, and the scheme is set to come to an end on October 6.
Southampton Labour Party claimed that the move would make more than 29,000 families £240 worse off by Christmas.
Cllr Kaur, leader of the opposition on the city council, said: “This decision will push more Southampton families into poverty and make life even harder for the most vulnerable people in our city. Money from people’s pockets is being taken away; a combined total loss to the city of £9,755,200 that would have been used to support the local economy.”
She said Southampton’s politicians can “still unite” and persuade the Prime Minister to reverse the “heartless decision.”
“Despite previous attempts by local Conservatives to defend this savage cut, it is my hope that it is not too late”, Cllr Kaur added.
But Cllr Fitzhenry said that the council is working on a number of initiatives aimed at supporting local families.
He said: ” We won’t be signing the letter but we are doing everything we can to support those that need it.”
Cllr Fitzhenry stressed that the council will be freezing council tax and has scrapped evening parking charges.
Talking about the £20-a-week boost he added:
”It was a temporary uplift and the government are trying to balance the finances post-Covid. Now we are coming out of Covid and we have to get our public finances in order and equally our city can do a lot to help people. We are doing an awful lot of work to get people back into work which is the way out of this.”