Closed petition Reduce pressure on foodbanks by allowing Universal Credit emergency applications

Closed on 21 November 2020

Add the following to Universal Credit application forms: "Do you have under £1,000 in savings? Do you have children under 18 who are likely to go without food and/or are at risk of becoming homeless if this application is not processed urgently?" If so, process the application within 5 working days.

It can take 5 weeks before new Universal Credit (UC) applications start paying and issuing UC advances forces impoverished people and families into debt. As a result, people often report difficulties repaying their UC advances out of their monthly UC payments, which can cause them to have to rely on food banks. Because of Covid-19 food banks are struggling with increased demand and reduced supply. Please urgently make sure impoverished children and adults don't go hungry because of UC advances.