Six more months of £20 uplift in benefit

THE Universal Credit uplift is being extended until September.

The Chancellor said the temporary £20 rise, introduced at the start of the pandemic, will remain in place for half a year, ‘well beyond’ the end of the national lockdown.

Working Tax Credit claimants will receive equivalent support over the next six months through a one-off payment of £500, due to the way the system works.

Charities had been calling for the increase to be kept in place for at least a year or for it to be made permanent and urged the Government to think again.

Action for Children’s Imran Hussain said: ‘It makes no sense to cut this lifeline in six months when the furlough scheme will have ended and unemployment is expected to be near its highest – exactly when families will need it most. Families need help and certainty, not a stay of execution.’

Dr Julia Faulconbridge, of the British Psychological Society, said: ‘Psychologically the impact of a six-month extension and the uncertainty this brings is very damaging and this decision will have a significant impact on the mental (and physical) health of those already at risk as a result of living in poverty.

‘People need security at this turbulent time – the Chancellor has failed to provide that.’

James Taylor, of Scope, cited a Health Foundation poll suggesting 59 per cent of the public support making the uplift permanent, saying: ‘A temporary extension isn’t enough; another six months would mean the uplift ending just as unemployment is set to peak.

‘This creates the very real risk of plunging many disabled people into poverty.’

Richard Kramer, of Sense, said: ‘ A sixmonth extension is not enough and doesn’t take into account the millions of disabled people on legacy benefits who have not received any uplift at all so far.’