Millions of families on low incomes who are struggling through the cost of living crisis would get a £25 per week boost if new proposals put to the DWP go through. The Government department has been told to reverse 'devastating cuts' which saw the Universal Credit top-up during the pandemic scrapped altogether, Chronicle Live reports.
For an 18-month period, Universal Credit claimants saw a £20 per week increase to help aid the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns - while a similar amount landed in the accounts of tax credit claimants too. But the booster, amounting to an extra £1,560, was cut in October 2021 - with the DWP saying it was just a temporary measure.
Birmingham Live reports that research indicates without the £20-a-week uplift, people are being plunged into a financial black hole. In new findings published last Sunday, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says axing that top-up is expected to have pushed 100,000 people into absolute poverty in 2022/2023.
