Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Petition Keep the £20pw Universal Credit lifeline and extend to those on legacy benefits
By putting in place the £20pw Universal Credit uplift at the start of the crisis, the Government provided a vital lifeline to low income families & children. It is clear the crisis is far from over. The Government must keep the uplift in place and grant it to all families on benefits.
More details
I’m a single parent of two and have disabilities preventing me from getting a full-time job. I didn’t qualify for the £20pw uplift as I’m on the old 'legacy benefits' system. Our financials got worse by the pandemic. £20 extra would mean giving the kids good food and to not hear them saying ‘I’m still hungry’.
My close friend Rebecca is a single working mother of one. Living on Universal Credit is very challenging for her, especially with no family or friends to help. £20 is her food budget. She’d be in trouble without it.
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Other parliamentary business
MPs recommend that the Government extend the £20 per week increase in Universal Credit
The Work and Pensions Committee (a group of MPs who look into the work of the Department for Work and Pensions) has published a report which recommends that the Government extend the temporary increase in Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit for at least 12 months. The Committee had already recommended, in October 2020, that the increase should be made permanent.
Read the report (HTML): https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5801/cmselect/cmworpen/1193/119302.htm
Read the report (PDF): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/4603/documents/46684/default/
In an earlier report, published in June 2020, the MPs recommended that legacy benefits should also be increased. You can read that report here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/1558/documents/14743/default/
What is the Work and Pensions Committee?
The Work and Pensions Committee looks at and questions how the Government Department for Work and Pensions is run, spends money and decides on its policies. It's a cross-party committee and is independent of the Government.
You can get updates on their work by following the Committee on Twitter @CommonsWorkpen or on their website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/164/work-and-pensions-committee
This is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c