Press Release. Keep the Lifeline

Citizens Advice Charnwood urges government against "devastating" Universal Credit cut

• Local charity says 49% of people seeking its advice on benefits have never needed its support before
• Number of people claiming Universal Credit has risen 131%since the pandemic began

A local charity has warned of the "devastating impact" of a scheduled cut to Universal Credit in April.

Staff and volunteers at Citizens Advice Charnwoodhave helped 419 people with Universal Credit since March last year. Around 49 of people in Charnwood seeking its advice on benefits have never contacted the charity before.

Advisers say many needing support from the benefits system have lost their job or suffered a drop in income as a result of the pandemic.

Citizens Advice Charnwood, which has continued to provide one-to-one support throughout the pandemic, warns that local families could be pushed into further hardship if the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift ends as planned in April.

In Charnwood the number of people claiming Universal Credit has risen 131% since the pandemic started. This compares to a rise of 93% nationally.

For households in the East Midlands the loss of £20 a week is equivalent to over 2 days in food and almost 6 days in energy costs.

A 'Help to Claim' adviser at Citizens Advice Charnwood said:

'Families who know it's set to end in a few months time are starting to worry about where they'll find the extra money to pay for their rent, their energy bills or their child's school uniform'.

Ian Dennis, Chief Officer said: '

"We support people every day whose lives have been turned upside down by this pandemic. For many of them Universal Credit is the lifeline that has helped pay the bills and put food on the table."

"But households across Charnwood now face the devastating prospect of a £20 a week cut to their benefits in just a few short months."

"At the same time the outlook in the jobs market is tough. As a result of the pandemic, we have already seen a big percentage increase in clients with redundancy related issues when compared with the same period during the previous year We are therefore urging the government to continue doing the right thing by maintaining the Universal Credit uplift."

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