MP adds voice to calls urging government to keep £20 uplift
A RUNCORN MP has urged the Government to reinstate the £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit that will hit 7,200 families in his Weaver Vale constituency.
The top-up was introduced to protect low income families from the economic impact of the pandemic but was stopped from October 6.
A spokesman for Mike Amesbury MP said research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that in his constituency of Weaver Vale the £1,040 annual cut will hit 7,200 working-age families, which is 20% of the total, and 4,000 working-age families with children, 35% of the total.
Mr Amesbury, Labour, said: “Boris Johnson waxes lyrical about levelling up.
“Yet here we are, as we start to transition out of the health pandemic, things are still tough for many people in our community.
“There is continued uncertainty in the labour market with the end of furlough, rising energy bills, a hike in National Insurance and extra costs for those still working from home.
“In one swoop they are taking away £20 per week, that’s £1,000 per year from hard-pressed families and millions from the local economy.
“People on the edge are worried how they will put food on the table and heat their homes this winter.
“Nearly 40% of those on Universal Credit are actually in work, in low paid jobs, so it’s topping up their wages to pay the rent, their mortgages and look after their families.”
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said this will be the “biggest overnight cut to the basic rate of social security since the foundation of the modern welfare state”, impacting around 5.5m low income families.
Mr Amesbury added: “I have been lobbied by several charities concerned about this cut including Action for Children and CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau).
“Even at this late stage the Government needs to think again and maintain the £1,000 a year which has been a lifesaver for so many.”