A new report from the Work & Pensions Committee is
recommending that if the Chancellor cannot yet commit to making
the £20 uplift to Universal Credit permanent, he should at the
very least extend it for a further 12 months.
Responding to the report, Iain Porter, Policy & Partnerships
Manager at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation who gave evidence to
the inquiry, said:
“We fully support the committee in calling for the Government to
commit to keeping the £20 uplift to Universal Credit for at least
a year. A short term extension of anything less than 12 months is
not the answer as it would cut support for the poorest in our
society just as unemployment is expected to peak later this year
and remain high for some time.
“There is a widespread consensus that cutting benefits now would
be a terrible mistake as it will have devastating consequences
for people’s health and ability to recover from this economic
crisis, as well as for our economy and local communities that the
Government has committed to level up. Millions of families have
experienced job losses and income shocks over the past year and
there is sadly still more to come. If the Government is serious
about supporting families through this crisis, it cannot create
more uncertainty and pressure for them, but should extend this
uplift for at least the next year.
“This financial lifeline must also be extended to people claiming
legacy benefits. It is unacceptable that currently many sick or
disabled people and carers are wrongly excluded from the support
they need to weather this economic storm.”
JRF is calling for:
- The Government should make permanent the temporary
£20-per-week uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit,
or at the very minimum extend the uplift for the 2021/22 fiscal
year.
- Ministers should also right the wrong of families on
Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance and
Income Support being excluded from this support, simply due to
still being in the ‘legacy’ part of the system.
