Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Extra £20 isn’t a ‘longer-term fix’
EMERGENCY food providers in Dundee have welcomed the extension to the £20 uplift to Universal Credit, but say it does not go far enough.
In yesterday’s Budget, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the £20 uplift to Universal Credit, which was initially introduced in March 2020 to help the poorest in society during the coronavirus pandemic, will continue for another six months.
The boost to the standard allowance is worth an extra £1,040 per year to claimants.
However a number of emergency food providers in Dundee say they are disappointed the solution will not be a long-term fix for those relying on Universal Credit payments.
A six-month extension does not fix the issues long-term.
Jacky Close from the Dundee Food Insecurity Network said: “I have a half-and-half reaction to the announcement.
“One part of me was delighted to see Sunak extend it, he has bowed to the pressure clearly put on the UK Government.
“But I am very disappointed that it is just for six months, and disappointed he sees this as a limited thing tied to Covid-19 rather than a longer-term fix.”
Meanwhile, Debbie Findlay from Lifegate Church’s food outreach programme said: “This is fantastic news.
“It was going to mean hardship for a lot of people if they lost that, because £20 is a lot of money for people.
“It is the difference between eating and not eating, so the fact it has been extended is amazing.
“Our numbers at the food outreach programme are still growing and people are really beginning to see the consequences of lockdown, furlough and shops being closed.”
A spokeswoman for the UK Government said: “We are committed to supporting the lowest paid families through the pandemic, which is why we’re spending hundreds of billions to safeguard jobs and boosting welfare support by billions.”