The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has been urged to increase Universal Credit payments by at least £25 a week as the cost of living crisis worsens. It comes after Ofgem announced that the energy price cap will rise to £3,549 from October this year - an increase of around 80 per cent.
Campaigners are now calling on the government to act swiftly, saying the situation is as severe as when the Covid pandemic hit the UK and the government introduced a temporary uplift to Universal Credit payments. For 18 months from March 2020, claimants received an extra £20 per week.
Welfare organisations are asking for an immediate national response to rising energy prices and say a weekly uplift in Universal Credit payments would help those struggling with bills the most, Birmingham Live reports. National poverty charity Turn2us is calling on the government to introduce a cap on energy costs and increase Universal Credit and legacy benefits by a minimum of £25 a week.
