Unemployed doubled in borough over Covid crisis

THE number of people on Universal Credit in Salford has almost doubled during the coronavirus crisis, with 15,000 more claimants so far this year.

Figures from the Department for Work & Pensions reveal there were 30,561 people claiming Universal Credit in October 2020 across the city of Salford.

This compares to just 15,462 Universal Credit claimants back in February.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to a new Universal Credit claimant from Irlam who has asked for her identity to remain anonymous.

She was working as a special needs teaching assistant when the pandemic took hold, but started claiming Universal Credit in April when her partner left.

The regular welfare payment contributed £116 a month towards her rent. But since her fixed-term contract finished at the end of September, she has started to slip into rent arrears and is struggling to pay for gas and electricity. While she waits for a wage dispute to be resolved, allowing her to claim more through Universal Credit, she says she is even struggling to buy basic food.

She said: “My mental health has gone down. I’ve had suicidal thoughts.”

The 45-year-old worked as a school cook for many years, but was offered an opportunity to become a teaching assistant through some volunteering work.

She said: “I’ve never been in this position. I’ve always worked.

“It’s really hard trying to get a job anywhere. Even cleaning.

A total of 1,620 residents have received welfare rights advice from Salford council since March 23, a scrutiny panel was told at the start of December.