Read on Twitter
WHO’S ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT?
A thread...
Firstly, 38% of UC claimants are working.
They include Tony, who delivers leaflets. He gets 11p for each one. If he works solidly, he gets £50 a day.
Before that, he ran a business. But it went bankrupt and he ended up homeless. 1/7
A thread...
Firstly, 38% of UC claimants are working.
They include Tony, who delivers leaflets. He gets 11p for each one. If he works solidly, he gets £50 a day.
Before that, he ran a business. But it went bankrupt and he ended up homeless. 1/7
For three years, he's been on Universal Credit, meaning he can now afford a small flat in a run down estate in York.
He lives there with his partner Sue, who has disabilities and cannot work.
"We don't live an extravagant lifestyle, we just about exist", Tony told me. 2/7
He lives there with his partner Sue, who has disabilities and cannot work.
"We don't live an extravagant lifestyle, we just about exist", Tony told me. 2/7
The £20 uplift in UC means Tony and Sue have paid off some bills they owed, despite Tony's work drying up during Covid. Before the rise, they were falling into arrears.
Now Sue fears going backwards. "This is why we don't want that little bit of help taken away, it's wrong." 3/7
Now Sue fears going backwards. "This is why we don't want that little bit of help taken away, it's wrong." 3/7
Who else is on UC?
Claimants have doubled during the pandemic to 5.9 million people. Many of those are people who've never conceived of claiming benefits. Research shows a large proportion are young and previously well paid.
That includes Daniel, an estate agent, & family. 4/7
Claimants have doubled during the pandemic to 5.9 million people. Many of those are people who've never conceived of claiming benefits. Research shows a large proportion are young and previously well paid.
That includes Daniel, an estate agent, & family. 4/7
During the pandemic his work dried up too. He now works part time only, with his wife furloughed from her job. They have 2 kids.
"It's a thing people wouldn't imagine - an estate agent on Universal Credit! We're using this extra money to cover things like food for the kids." 5/7
"It's a thing people wouldn't imagine - an estate agent on Universal Credit! We're using this extra money to cover things like food for the kids." 5/7
The £20 hike makes life just about affordable for Tony and Sue, Daniel and his wife. The question the Chancellor is grappling with is whether it's also affordable long term for the country - costing around £6bn per year.
6/7
6/7
The decision will partly depend on what the economy is doing in March, when the budget is set.
But in all reality it is near impossible to cut a benefit once people rely on it. Unless work picks up, where do Tony & Daniel find the savings? What about those who can’t work? 7/7
But in all reality it is near impossible to cut a benefit once people rely on it. Unless work picks up, where do Tony & Daniel find the savings? What about those who can’t work? 7/7
