Residents could get £100 a week free in basic income pilot

THOUSANDS of people in Cardiff could be given £100 a week for free in a new pilot testing the idea of a universal basic income.

The pilot could see 5,000 people picked at random and given £100 a week for two years. Researchers would gather evidence to see if and how a universal basic income could be rolled out to everybody.

Sheffield, Hull and Liverpool councils have all passed motions supporting a basic income pilot. Now campaigners at UBI Lab Cardiff have written to councillors urging them to do the same.

The exact number of people in the pilot and how much they should be given is up for debate – but academics working on the idea should publish a working paper at the end of July with all the details of how a pilot could work in Cardiff.

Jonathan Williams is a trainee lawyer and campaigns with UBI Lab Cardiff. He said: “Rolled out properly, everyone would receive it regardless of income, wealth or status.”

The idea of a basic income has gained traction across the world as people look for solutions to the economic shock of coronavirus.

Mr Williams said: “In the middle of a crisis, there’s a great opportunity. On the back of World War Two we had the NHS, which is universal, everyone benefits. The universal basic income can be our generation’s NHS.”

The pilot could target a specific group of people, like the homeless or unemployed, or cover a representative sample of the city. He said it could be partly funded by the council, partly by the Welsh Government.