By MPs urge the government to keep £20 Top up
MPs have said the £20 weekly increase in Universal Credit must be extended for at least a year to avoid increasing poverty for hundreds of thousands of people.
Currently the £20 top up is in place until March however it is a key lifeline to thousands of struggling families across the UK.
The Commons Work and Pensions Committee said keeping the higher rate until April 2022 must be the “bare minimum”.
Over six million families have benefited from the top-up, which is worth more than £1,000 a year, since it was introduced at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The government have added they are looking at a variety of different ways in which they can continue to help families within next months budget however discussion remain on going.
Work and Pensions Minister, Will Quince, said Chancellor Rishi Sunak had a “proven record of stepping up to protect the poorest, the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our country throughout this pandemic and I have no doubt he will continue to do so”.
Research has by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimating it could cost approximately £6.4bn in 2021-2022 to extend the top up through out the next year.
The top up was planned to be replaced with a larger single sum instead of the weekly £20.
However, some charities grew concerns it could destabilise people’s budgets, push some claimants over the threshold for other support and increase the risks of fraud.
