New data has revealed that almost 6,000 families across the Bath area will be left worse off when the government ends the temporary £20-a-week Universal Credit increase next month.
The data, from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, shows as many as 15% of families in Bath will be affected by the change, which is being opposed by the city’s MP, Wera Hobhouse.
In their report, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that the Universal Credit cut alone could force 500,000 people, almost half of them children, into poverty.
A breakdown of the data shows that up to 5,900 families in Bath will be harmed by the government’s uplift cut, with 27% of families with children in Bath being affected adversely.
Responding to the figures, Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, said: “Bath has had to pull itself through this pandemic while dealing with this heartless Conservative government. This cut will do untold damage to so many of our local families.
“There is no question that the Government has to reverse this cruel cut and support those at risk of falling through the gaps. We are calling for the Universal Credit uplift to be made permanent.”
“We are still in the midst of the pandemic and now is not the time to reduce support for those in need. We cannot have a full recovery if millions of families are struggling to make ends meet.
“The Prime Minister’s claim that he wants people to live by their own ‘efforts’ rather than ‘welfare’ shows how out of touch he really is.
“With 39% of families receiving Universal Credit already in work and with many having young families, this cut will leave many parents and their children behind.”
