To ask how people will cope with Universal credit cut.

[ponyexpress22]

Surely they aren't going ahead with cutting it by £20 a week? I'm shocked that the government could stoop this low. What the hell are they doing.

For anyone looking to cut their bills on UC can I recommend the BT home essentials broadband for £15 a month which is available for those on UC. The service is good too, no complaints since I switched. www.bt.com/exp/broadband/home-essentials I know it's not helpful if you're tied into a contract but hopefully this might help someone

*No one to pick her up from school I'd have to use paid child care(

Millions of workers won’t have people who can collect their children from school for free. Some will work whilst the children are in school or pay for after school care which is usually very reasonable for just one child.

I think if you get a decent work coach they will help you get what you need to start work if you can and if you can’t point you to CAB for PIP assessment help however I agree most coaches are not fit for purpose I do my absolute best for my claimants all the time luckily my manager is great but jeez the reality is it is a relentless cycle of poor government management decisions coupled with people so ground down by life that it’s a relentless cycle luckily I’m sharp elbowed don’t put up with shit and get the results people need but it’s fighting all the time against policy and procedure implemented by inept unintelligent idiots

Good call @cadburyegg
Not just for UC claimants
Essentials Plans are available for anyone on one or more of these state benefits:

Universal Credit (all claimants)
Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit)
Income Support
Jobseeker’s Allowance
You need to be receiving income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance to qualify for Home Essentials. People on contribution-based only JSA are not eligible. If you receive both income and contribution-based JSA, your income-based JSA must be higher.
Employment and Support Allowance
You need to be receiving income-related Employment and Support Allowance to qualify for Home Essentials. People on contribution-based only ESA are not eligible. If you receive both income and contribution-based ESA, your income-based JSA must be higher.
The person in receipt of one of the above state benefits must be the BT Account Holder of the Home Essentials Plan.

@Theworldishard

How has a previous poster been able to get £1000 in universal credit?

I can't find the post you're referring to but it would be rent element, child element and personal element. That would easily be 1000

@Theworldishard

How has a previous poster been able to get £1000 in universal credit?

Universal credit for the unemployed is made up of 3 elements.

A single person element.
A housing element
A child element.

Each element is worth a specific value.

Standard allowance
£317.82

You get a standard amount each month. You said you're single

Children
£277.08

You get support for 1 child

Housing
£346.62

Total entitlement before deductions
£941.52

I've just switched to a smart meter and my electricity bills have halved. I don't know how but they have 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ten years of austerity means that the amount received by claiments is lower than it would have been had they risen yearly in line with inflation. The cost of living has risen markedly in the last ten years, especially housing costs. The uplift brought the benefit nearer in line to where it should be at, so yes it has been taken away.

@PlanDeRaccordement

Personally, I think it was abhorrent how the government did the £20/week increase in the first place because they excluded all disabled people who are unable to work from the increase. This meant that disabled people, whose costs are known to be higher than abled people, had to live on £20/wk less than abled working or out of work people this entire time. So honestly, it going away is actually returning some parity between abled and disabled. If you want to fight for it to be increased again, include an increase for the disabled in your petitions.

How did they exclude disabled people from the rise ?? many disabled people are on UC and it was applied to the standard element which everyone gets.

Its really difficult. It was always described as temporary. It was intended to go some way towards making up for the exceptional challenges of Covid. The other background price rises they will expect to be covered by wages rising over time

£20 is not being cut each week. £20 extra was given to try to support people during Covid when so many people were furloughed. So on the one hand I'm not too het up about it being removed again as it was always temporary and due to be stopped when out of Covid crisis mode, which we are supposed to be now.

However, it's appalling to remove the uplift just as you announce tax rises - that's double the kick in the teeth to a family's finances.

What is clear is that UC is clearly too low overall and that needs addressing. A poster at the beginning said anyone on legacy benefits was welcome and encouraged to move to UC...well, in my particular set of circumstances at the time it looked like we would be rolled onto it (carer for son on middle rate of DLA) we would have lost I think it was £450 a month by doing that (disabled element of UC only kicks in for higher rate DLA) Fortunately they didn't, and now I am back full time so no longer on legacy benefits. But the point is, they save a lot by shifting people over and it's not surprising it's encouraged!

Given the tax rises, a more decent thing to do would have been to make that £20 a week permanent.

I actually think some disabled people on Uc are amongst the better off of everyone. They can get the LCWRA ( an extra £343 a month) if they are unable to work. If then are on a disability benefit, their partner can get the carers element even if they work full time. A couple who have no children get the work allowance if the other of the couple receives LCW or LCWRA meaning if they have a mortgage, a whole £513 of earnings is completely disregarded before earnings reduce UC. People should try looking at some of the figures . Like I've said before, UC is absolutely rubbish for people not working, but people only need to be working a few hours to be hugely better off.

@Lancrelady80

£20 is not being cut each week. £20 extra was given to try to support people during Covid when so many people were furloughed. So on the one hand I'm not too het up about it being removed again as it was always temporary and due to be stopped when out of Covid crisis mode, which we are supposed to be now.

However, it's appalling to remove the uplift just as you announce tax rises - that's double the kick in the teeth to a family's finances.

What is clear is that UC is clearly too low overall and that needs addressing. A poster at the beginning said anyone on legacy benefits was welcome and encouraged to move to UC...well, in my particular set of circumstances at the time it looked like we would be rolled onto it (carer for son on middle rate of DLA) we would have lost I think it was £450 a month by doing that (disabled element of UC only kicks in for higher rate DLA) Fortunately they didn't, and now I am back full time so no longer on legacy benefits. But the point is, they save a lot by shifting people over and it's not surprising it's encouraged!

Given the tax rises, a more decent thing to do would have been to make that £20 a week permanent.

Disability element kicks in for middle and higher rate DLA. But I think if a child is on middle rate then it is still better off to stay on legacy benefits.

I think what most are missing is that the amount of people who started claims during the uplift period was huge, they didn't realise it was temporary and quite rightly wouldn't have believed people had been living on £80 less a month.

Then the people who were already claiming did know it was temporary but have got used to not having to deny themselves and their children meals over the past 18 months and don't want to go back to those days.

Some of these comments really make you realise how thick some Tory voters are. Absolutely clueless.

@notanotherjacketpotato

I think what most are missing is that the amount of people who started claims during the uplift period was huge, they didn't realise it was temporary and quite rightly wouldn't have believed people had been living on £80 less a month.

Then the people who were already claiming did know it was temporary but have got used to not having to deny themselves and their children meals over the past 18 months and don't want to go back to those days.

The uplift was designed so that people who were previously working did not have such a shock when they suddenly found themselves reliant on benefits for the first time in their lives. That is why it was only applied to Uc and Working tax credits and not other legacy benefits who saw no rise. many of those forced onto UC during covid will now be back in work or off furlough..

@PlanDeRaccordement

Personally, I think it was abhorrent how the government did the £20/week increase in the first place because they excluded all disabled people who are unable to work from the increase. This meant that disabled people, whose costs are known to be higher than abled people, had to live on £20/wk less than abled working or out of work people this entire time. So honestly, it going away is actually returning some parity between abled and disabled. If you want to fight for it to be increased again, include an increase for the disabled in your petitions.

Incorrect. Disabled/ill people on UC did get the uplift. Not everyone who is unable to work is on ESA. Where I live has been full UC for years, so ESA is not even an option anymore.

I am on UC, in the LCWRA group (the UC equivalent of ESA support group), and I got the uplift. The uplift was applied to the basic rate that everyone on UC gets.

TBH, Covid did not affect my finances seeing as I was not working to begin with so the £20 made my life a little more pleasant.

It was never intended to be permanent, and in fact it was extended a further 6 months beyond when it was originally to be stopped.
Tax credit lump sum was only paid if you were affected by COVID I believe so people who were still on that (us included) didn't get any extra, ditto people working and not getting UC. All the fuss is ridiculous, people knew it wasn't forever and should have treated it as such when budgeting.

Who cares? It's low income workers and those in private rental it will hit hardest, and we've already established the UK doesn't give a fuck about them. They're already the poorest in society so a bit more deprivation won't matter.
With the National insurance increase we can all sit back and watch them play desperation bingo, whilst congratulating ourselves on how superior we are not to be in that position, or banging on about imaginary scenarios where we pretend we are worse off.

@Theworldishard

How has a previous poster been able to get £1000 in universal credit?

I haven't seen the post you are talking about but my rent (which is literally the cheapest 2 bed house in my town other getting social housing) is £800. That wouldn't leave a lot from £1000 to pay everything else.

@Theworldishard

How has a previous poster been able to get £1000 in universal credit?

It's perfectly feasible to get £1000 Uc . everyone gets a different amount depending on their circumstances - rent , kids, inability to work due to illness, carers element etc.

@edwardcullensotherwoman

It was never intended to be permanent, and in fact it was extended a further 6 months beyond when it was originally to be stopped. Tax credit lump sum was only paid if you were affected by COVID I believe so people who were still on that (us included) didn't get any extra, ditto people working and not getting UC. All the fuss is ridiculous, people knew it wasn't forever and should have treated it as such when budgeting.

Maybe they could leave a bit of the £20 a week to cover how.much costs of food and fuel etc have gone up since the start of the pandemic, that'd make it easier to budget...

Of.course they won't, it'll go back down to 18 months ago levels.

Thanks for the replies. Wow, I didn't know there was so much that could be given.

Universal credit was previously made up of about 5 other benefits.

@Theworldishard

Thanks for the replies. Wow, I didn't know there was so much that could be given.

Lol at the "So Much Given"

You'll be very glad to know that there is a benefit cap to stop poor people getting to well fed.

Outside Greater London
The benefit cap outside Greater London is:

£384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) if you’re in a couple
£384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) if you’re a single parent and your children live with you
£257.69 per week (£13,400 a year) if you’re a single adult
Inside Greater London
The benefit cap inside Greater London is:

£442.31 per week (£23,000 a year) if you’re in a couple
£442.31 per week (£23,000 a year) if you’re a single parent and your children live with you
£296.35 per week (£15,410 a year) if you’re a single adult