A petition calling on the government to take urgent action to support the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee was presented to political parties in Westminster this week.
Research commissioned by the Trussell Trust has found more than half of recipients of Universal Credit do not have enough money for food.
The study was carried out by YouGov on behalf of the Trussell Trust. It found that 2.4 million claimants (37 percent) had fallen into debt because they could not keep up with essential bills. Two in five (42 percent) reported being behind on one or more household bill.
The research suggested that 780,000 claimants of Universal Credit had been driven to use a foodbank during the month December 2023 to January 2024. More than half of the recipients who were surveyed said they had run out of food. In the previous 12 months, 22 percent of Universal Credit claimants reported being unable to cook hot food as they could not afford to use their own or other utilities. 52 percent said they were behind on their bills and credit commitments or were finding keeping up with them a constant struggle.
From April, the £90 weekly Universal Credit standard allowance is £30 less than the weekly cost of essential items for a singly person, says the charity. It is calling on the Chancellor to provide greater support for people on the lowest incomes in next week’s Spring Budget, including an extension to the Household Support Fund.
Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said the findings confirm the ‘stark truth’ about poverty in Britian.
“When record numbers of people are being left with no option but to use a foodbank, it’s time to reassess the systems that should be there to support us all.
“The biggest driver of foodbank need is the failure of our social-security system to protect people from going without the essentials,” said Revie.
Together with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), the Trussell Trust is calling for an Essentials Guarantee within Universal Credit, which means the basic rate covers cost of living essentials and that support can never fall below that level.
On February 28, a petition calling on the government to take urgent action to support the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee was presented to political parties in Westminster. As well as the Trussell Trust and the JRF, the petition was supported by a coalition of anti-poverty charities, including Just Fair, the Mental Health Foundation, Barnardo’s, and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. It also had overwhelming support from across the business and church sectors. More than 150,00 people put their name to the petition, including a number of celebrities and influencers.
Dr David Walker, the Bishop of Manchester, helped deliver the petition to parliament.
“Essentials are how we describe those things it is not practicable for any individual or household to live without. Yet the current Universal Credit system contains no means of ensuring households have enough income to encompass them. This campaign simply wants to put that right,” he said.
Paul Kissack, Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said:
“People across the country understand that our shredded social security system is allowing hardship and destitution to grow every corner of the UK. And yet the British people are not currently hearing a sense of urgency or compassion from either of the main parties on this issue. I take heart that over a hundred thousand people have made clear they won’t stand by any longer in the face of political inaction”
“While politicians may want to avoid talking about poverty, they can’t avoid the consequences of it – from rocketing food bank use, to growing poor health, to children turning up hungry at school and unable to learn. Governments are never powerless to act. In a country as wealthy as ours, allowing destitution to grow is a political choice”.
“In an election year, every political party needs to set out what they believe a decent society looks like, and that must be a society without destitution and hardship, where we guarantee that no one goes without the essentials.”
Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
Image credit: Jess Hurd
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