Universal Credit claimants rise across our area
THE number of people on Universal Credit has increased in every area of East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire in the past two months, latest figures reveal.
It comes after the Government announced a £20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit (UC), which was introduced at the start of the pandemic, will be removed next month.
Critics of the move say it will plunge millions into poverty.
But ministers insist that the increase to UC was always intended to be a temporary measure and is no longer needed now the economy is starting to recover from the pandemic.
Here are how many people are on UC in each ward in East Staffordshire:
Brizlincote, Stapenhill and Winshill: 1,987 in July; 2,026 in August;
Anglesey, Shobnall and Burton: 4,497 in July; 4,583 in August;
Barton-under-needwood, Branston, Horninglow and Eton, Outwoods, Rolleston, Stretton, Tutbury, and Yoxall: 2,131 in July; 2,151 in August;
Denstone, Kingstone, Marchington, Rocester, Uttoxeter, and Uttoxeter Rural: 1,162 in July; 1,170 in August.
Here are how many people are on UC in each ward in South Derbyshire:
Church Gresley, and Linton, Midway, Newhall and Stanton, Swadlincote, and Woodville: 3,770 in July; 3,849 in August;
Willington and Findern: 720 in July; 722 in August;
Etwall, Hatton, and Hilton. 1071 in July; 1081 in August;
Melbourne, and Ticknall: 1,007 in July; 1,018 in August.
Seales: 1,367 in July; 1,379 in August.
UC was introduced in 2013 as a replacement for six “legacy” benefits, including Jobseeker’s Allowance and Working Tax Credit.
It was intended to be a simpler and more flexible system which would support claimants into employment.
But since its launch it has been plagued with problems and accusations of being too stingy, with claimants having to wait around five weeks for their first payments.
Earlier this week, some Tory MPS warned Boris Johnson against “hastily” reducing UC for millions of families. Former work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb insisted the Conservatives should be “standing on the side” of supermarket workers, cleaners and carers and said it was unclear why the Government wanted to remove the £20 per week uplift to UC.
He told MPS the “sudden, abrupt withdrawal” of the £20 uplift “is not the right way of doing welfare policy”.
The extra payments will be phased out from the end of September, with the Government arguing it would cost £6 billion to retain them.
For the Government, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said opposition parties had “demonised” UC and said more people would be “better off” if they moved over to the system from legacy benefits, even without the £20 uplift.
She said: “It may be an inconvenient truth for the party opposite – or parties I should say – who constantly tried to demonise Universal Credit, but Universal Credit proved itself even more during the Covid pandemic, showing that it worked both by design and in delivery.”
Ms Coffey also said the Government timed the end of the UC uplift to match the end of the furlough scheme, and said more people would benefit from plans to boost “pay, prospects and prosperity” in work as the £20 uplift ends.
She went on: “As our economy continues to recover it is right that we are investing in jobs and skills to boost pay, prospects and prosperity for people right across the UK as part of our plan to level up and build back better.”