We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and yet people here in the UK are going without the essentials we all need to get by.
Everyone’s circumstances can change. Losing your job, needing to care for a sick family member, breaking up with your partner – these are things that can happen to any of us.
That’s why Universal Credit should offer support to anyone who needs it. But right now it’s not providing enough income to cover the cost of life’s essentials, such as food, utilities and vital household goods, with 90% of low-income households receiving Universal Credit going without.
The basic rate of Universal Credit should at least cover these core costs. But it is not currently set according to any objective assessment of the price of essentials and from April it will only be £85 a week for a single adult. Often people receive even less as they face deductions from their support which are automatically taken at unaffordable rates, for example to pay off debts to the government. Over half the people at food banks are facing these kinds of reductions at the moment when they most need help. How can it be right that the very system that was created to support us when we face challenging times is pushing people deeper into hardship?
We can’t always deal with what life throws at us on our own, so we need to have a system that supports us all to afford the essentials while we recover from setbacks. The UK government must make sure the basic rate of Universal Credit at least covers the essentials, such as food, household bills and travel costs, and that deductions can never pull support below that level.
Our research shows that we must increase the basic rate of Universal Credit to at least £120 a week to address the significant gap that now exists between the level of support people receive and their living costs.
Join us in calling on the government to guarantee our essentials. Find more information and sign up to join the campaign on the Trussell Trust website.