What is Universal Credit?
Universal Credit is a social security payment for people who don’t have enough money for the essentials – often because they’re in low-paid work or can’t work because of a health issue or caring responsibilities.
These payments can be an absolute lifeline for people who don’t have enough money to live on, but the UK government is planning to cut these payments by £20 a week this October – this will be the biggest overnight cut to social security since World War II – for some families, it will mean suddenly losing up to a fifth of their income.
But it doesn’t have to be like this – the UK government could choose to protect people when they need support, not cut them adrift, by choosing to keep the lifeline. Find out more here > www.trusselltrust.org/keepthelifeline
How much of a difference will this actually make to how much money people have?
Universal Credit payments can be an absolute lifeline for people who don’t have enough money to live on. This will be the biggest overnight cut to social security since World War II* – for some families, it will mean suddenly losing up to a fifth of their income.
| Current UC rate (per month) | Planned UC rate from October (per month) | |
| Single claimant aged under 25 | £344.00 | £257.34 |
| Single claimant aged 25 or over | £411.51 | £324.85 |
This cut will be a devastating blow for many households which are already struggling to make ends meet – people who are nearly at breaking point but just about managing to keep their heads above water. 1.2 million people fear they could be forced to skip meals if the UK government goes ahead with the planned cut.
It would be wrong of the government to take £20 a week from their already extremely low incomes, and push even more people through the doors of food banks like ours this October.
But it doesn’t have to be like this – the government could choose to protect people when they need support, not cut them adrift. It could choose to make sure our social security system helps people afford the essentials in life, by choosing to keep the lifeline. Find out more here: www.trusselltrust.org/keepthelifeline
* https://www.jrf.org.uk/blog/keepthelifeline-urging-government-not-cut-Universal-Credit