Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #universalcredit

Most recents (24)

Imagine being disabled to the extent where the DWP have already confirmed your inability to work and then suddenly having to go to the Job centre where a work coach who has never met you before and has no knowledge of you disability can say 'you can work now, and...1
If you don't start looking, you will be sanctioned.' Now this might seem ridiculous, but unless I'm reading it incorrectly, that is the reality of the system which the Tories are looking to introduce. I get that allowing people to try work while receiving benefits is a,,,
Good idea, however this system will punish those who absolutely have no prospect of working, the White Paper pledges that such individuals will indeed be protected, but in practice how will this happen when decisions are solely at the discretion of work coaches?It won't 3
Read 10 tweets
šŸ§µThe social security system should support us all when we face challenging times, but right now itā€™s not covering the essentials and pushing some people into even deeper hardship.

Whatā€™s gone wrong and what can be done about it?
#OurEssentials Image with a white background and illustrations of a travel
Firstly, #UniversalCredit isnā€™t set according to any objective assessment of the price of essentials such as food and utilities. From April it will only be Ā£85 a week for a single adult.
Often people receive even less than that, as they face deductions from their support which are taken at unaffordable rates, for example to pay off debts to the Government.
Read 5 tweets
We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but right now 90% of households receiving #UniversalCredit are going without essentials like food, utilities and vital household goods.
We canā€™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.
From April, Universal Credit will be set at Ā£85 a week for a single adult, but thereā€™s a significant gap between this and living costs. Our research shows that in order to cover the essentials, it must be increased to at least Ā£120 a week. jrf.org.uk/report/guarantā€¦
Read 4 tweets
Today I witnessed @JobCentresPlus in action. It wasnā€™t pretty.

Firstly, my friend (I could not attend unaccompanied) & I were asked to wait. Also waiting was a man who was asking why his benefits had been sanctioned. He hadnā€™t got credit on his phone to ring them. 1/
The @G4S guy said ā€œthatā€™s not my problemā€. Also ā€œcalm downā€ which we know works so well. Claimant lost his cool a bit. Heā€™s getting Ā£150/month. Thatā€™s all. And they cut it because he didnā€™t do what he ā€œshouldā€.

Meanwhile 7/8 staff were watching like it was a show. 2/
My name was called. ā€œLetā€™s get you away from the entertainmentā€. I said itā€™s not exactly entertaining though is it? I was then told that heā€™s always there, kicking off and causing trouble. Iā€™m sure working there leaves you jaded but no excuse for this. 3/
Read 10 tweets
A story about universal credit. This month F turned 20. I was receiving Ā£880 child element & disability element plus child benefit. All that has gone. I received Ā£151 instead (they deducted Ā£50 as they state they overpaid me one month).šŸ§¶
Will I have enough to pay for our home & all associated costs. Anxiously Iā€™ve waited to see what sheā€™ll receive. Gone through all the assessments for limited capability for work. Contacted welfare rights who advised me what she is entitled to. Was this all necessary? šŸ§¶
Iā€™m a carer to a severely disabled child. Sheā€™s not suddenly got better. Sheā€™s just become an adult (who lacks capacity) but Iā€™ve had to go through all these assessments. And today, I found out how much sheā€™ll receive Ā£265. Thatā€™s a drop of approx Ā£559 in one month... šŸ§¶
Read 8 tweets
in 2015 the so called, dark money funded, think tank, the Tax Payers Alliance published their far right wish list for reducing the state and minimising taxes for the wealthy, this is a thread of *just* the contents!!
Read 13 tweets
Why is the cost of living crisis wreaking such havoc?

On one level itā€™s obvious: prices.

On another itā€™s about exposure. New @jrf_uk work charts the deepening of poverty over 20 yrs. People in very deep poverty rose to 6.5m pre-pandemic.

šŸ§µ1/11

jrf.org.uk/report/going-wā€¦
We often talk about going without the essentials now, & choosing between heating & eating. But as you dive down the income distribution this experience isnā€™t new. Itā€™s everyday.

The šŸšØšŸšØhave been flashing for some time. Foodbank use, homelessness, malnutrition in hospitalsā€¦ 2/ Image of a foodbank
Yet the poverty line has been pretty flat in recent decades. Whatā€™s going on? We show how poverty has been deepening.

Very deep poverty has increased more than a fifth over the best past of 20 years 3/ Graph showing poverty (60% ...
Read 11 tweets
I was feeling smug that I might finally have sent the #UniversalCredit wanks off to think on my feedback but then I noticed it was 5pm and theyā€™ve probably just logged off instead. Mandatory reconsideration made no difference though at least they decided quickly this time.
So now I get to wait 6 months for an appeal to go to tribunal. Iā€™ve got the local disabled support group and maybe citizenā€™s advice to help, but probably donā€™t need to double up. Still, the ā€˜fairyland says unicorns exist so jobhunt through your suicidal anxietyā€™ part, um, no.
Unicorns being the job and/or employer that will take my anxious, overwhelmed autistic brain that freezes in the face of any rudeness, they donā€™t like that cos they canā€™t improve themselves or accommodate me, of course. Or my canā€™t walk, stand, bend or lift much 22-year back pain
Read 11 tweets
Tomorrow I receive my #UniversalCredit twice a month I receive Ā£293.00. I have a shortfall in #HousingCrisis of Ā£54 per month , paid my bills . I have bought Ā£14 of food. I now have Ā£6.21 left until 6th June . #DUP get back and form an executive .
I also just remembered my next #UC will have to be used for oil . I rely on friends and my 68 yr old father . Im also disabled and had to return my #motability car as I could not pay for fuel. My car gave my some freedom . Since #covid my anxiety is unbearable @RobinSwannMoH
So I reached out to @CommunitiesNI for support . However money for people in crisis is needed now. I have to wait up to 10 days for a call not for money . #DUP get back to work #UniversalCredit #Westminster Image
Read 10 tweets
As a #Disabled single parent on #UniversalCredit I desperately needed the #SpringStatement2022 to provide some sort of relief from the #CostOfLivingCrisis we're facing.

It doesn't...

šŸ§µ
If I use 15L of petrol/diesel in a week I can expect to be 75p a week better off?

It makes little impact when petrol is up ~50p a litre since the pandemic/Brexit.

75p cut, vs. a Ā£7.50 increase? It's meaningless.

I need a lot more to get by than 75p a week!

2.
Then there's the doubling of the #HouseholdSupportFund - that's a discretionary. You have to plead with the council for it.

You have to set out why you, specifically, are failing to cope on benefits and deliver your full bank statement for scrutiny so they can criticise you.

3.
Read 7 tweets
šŸ‘‰TIME FOR ACTION
The #CostOfLivingCrisis is hitting people of all ages and backgrounds. We and Brighton's Emergency Food Network have had enough. We have sent a letter to national gov with 12 emergency action points

šŸ§µ

Read our full statement here: bhfood.org.uk/wp-content/uplā€¦
šŸšØ 1 - The uplift in benefits that is tabled for the Spring Budget is in line with the true cost of #inflation

We need an increase of 7% or higher, not the outdated 3.1% tabled from data produced last September
šŸšØ 2 - the Ā£20 #UniversalCredit uplift is removed

Household costs have not reduced since the pandemic, in fact they are increasing. The Universal Credit uplift being removed is leaving families with LESS than before.
Read 16 tweets
I've been interviewing people using #FoodBanks about the circumstances that have led them there & the impact on their #MentalHealth

In a new @IFAN_UK & @jrf_uk report, out today & covered by @BigIssue, I describe what I heard - here are the headlines šŸ§µ bigissue.com/news/social-juā€¦
Everyone I spoke to described experiencing some feelings of shame & embarrassment about using a food bank, particularly on their first visit. Many had put off seeking support that they desperately needed because of the stigma associated with poverty & accessing food aid. 2/10
Peopleā€™s circumstances were complex & personal but the underlying reason for needing food aid was simple & universal: their income (primarily from benefits but sometimes from wages too) was inadequate to make ends meet, particularly after the Ā£20-a-week #UniversalCredit cut. 3/10
Read 10 tweets
Looking forward to what should be a very timely discussion on the IFS's latest research geographic inequalities in labour market outcomes & how this may present challenges for the Govt's #LevellingUp agenda #IFSEvents
First @PJTheEconomist and the @NuffieldFound's @markfranks give a brief overview of the IFS #DeatonReview into inequalities, and why the Nuffield Foundation gave the review its financial support #IFSEvents
Franks recognises that #LevellingUp will only be delivered if we focus on multiple factors of #inequalities - age, gender, education, public services, jobs - not just place #IFSEvents
Read 35 tweets
šŸ’¬ Welcome to JRFā€™s #AskAnAnalyst Q&A session šŸ’¬

Our analysts will be answering your questions on the data behind our #UKPoverty2022 report.

You can read the report in full, here: jrf.org.uk/report/uk-poveā€¦
First up we have a question from @Thomas_WilsonUK on pensioner poverty šŸ‘‡ We also received a similar question from Ellie Gaddes from @IndependentAge

.@GemmaSchwendel's answer:

"The rise in pensioner poverty is concerning, and we think it is being driven in part by increased housing costs, particularly for those in rented accommodation...
Read 63 tweets
Figures from our #UKPoverty2022 report warn of a harmful legacy, with half a million more children sinking into very deep poverty.

ThreadšŸ§µšŸ‘‡
jrf.org.uk/report/uk-poveā€¦
Our state of the nation report into poverty in the UK reveals that 1.8 million children are growing up in very deep poverty, meaning family incomes are so low that they are completely inadequate to cover the basics.
Large numbers of children were living on low incomes for prolonged periods of time in the years running up the pandemic.

For many young children, this persistence of poverty means going without essentials is all they have ever known or can remember
Read 8 tweets
I read this šŸ§µfrom @MrMarkEThomas + the attached articles very late last night.

Iā€™d heard of the #SovereignIndividual before but had no idea of itā€™s full horror.

I was so shocked I could not sleep.

ā—ļøYOU SIMPLY MUST READ ITā—ļø

@13sarahmurphy @RichardJMurphy @DeborahMeaden
1/4
It explains EVERYTHINGā€¦.from #Brexit through the #UniversalCredit cut (because thatā€™s what it really is), #FreeSchoolMeals debacle, #PPECorruption /VIP lanes to the catastrophic mishandling #Covid19UK & EVERYTHING in between.

@BorisJohnson @10DowningStreet @Conservatives
2/
We are in very grave danger!

WE MUST WAKE UP to the reality of what is going on under our noses.

Our egomaniacal clown PM is not just fulfilling his own dream of being #KingOfTheWorld, he is a very willing puppet for darker, smarter, more evil forces.

@MrKennethClarke
3/
Read 5 tweets
Budget 2021: what does it mean for low-income families?

A thread šŸ‘‡šŸ§µ
jrf.org.uk/blog/does-budgā€¦
šŸ“ˆOur analysis shows that households able to work the most hours gain the most from the National Living Wage rising and changes to the #UniversalCredit taper and work allowance.

āŒHowever, rising living costs wipe out most of these gains
A couple with two young children, with one parent working full-time and one working part-time will be better off by Ā£7 per week

āž•šŸ’·7āƒ£ A graphic showing illustrations of two adults and two young
Read 10 tweets
Changes to #UniversalCredit in #Budget2021 see the loss of Ā£20 (#KeepTheLifeline) "mitigated" with a reduction in the UC "taper rate" from 63p to 55p.

Let's look at what that means, who that helps and who that hurts.

#poverty #ukpolitics #benefits #UKPoverty #foodbanks

1.
It means that now instead of 63p being deducted from Universal Credit for every Ā£1 earned, only 55p will be. Meaning claimants in work are 8p better off per Ā£1 wages earned.

That offsets that Ā£20 for some. Who though? How many 8p's are needed to reach Ā£20?

2.
It's actually Ā£250 that is needed in wages every month, to offset the Ā£20 cut. Or to put it another way, that's 59h work a month on the apprentice minimum wage, or 29h on the min wage over 23.

At age 23, if you work 7h a week you should be better off with the new rates?

3.
Read 19 tweets
It feels to me that @RishiSunak needs some help getting the economy back on track.

Ahead of the autumn #budget2021, I've busted some economic myths he seems to believe...

šŸ§µšŸ‘‡

Myth 1ļøāƒ£ : We are well on our way to recovery with the fastest growth in the G7.
Busted: Our economy was one of the worst hit, so we are growing from a low base. The IMF says our economy is still 5% below its pre-pandemic path. & our economy is projected to lag behind all G7 countries in 2024.
Myth 2ļøāƒ£: We need to start balancing the books because we canā€™t afford to borrow any more.

Busted: Our debt level is high, but what matters is the cost of financing this debt. At 6% of tax receipts, the cost of servicing the debt is the second lowest itā€™s been since WWII.
Read 12 tweets
There are many layers to the #Covid19UK human catastrophe but IMO itā€™s all DELIBERATE @mrjamesob

Not even @BorisJohnson is so ignorant that he canā€™t understand the seriousness of what is currently unfolding.

The crux is - HE WANTS IT TO HAPPEN!

@sajidjavid @JonAshworth
1/šŸ§µ
If you were looking for the perfect foil for the #BrexitShambles & #NHSPrivatisation in one fell swoop AND you wanted to divert attention from the cronyism & corruption being uncovered every single dayā€¦.youā€™d create as much chaos, fear & desperation as possibleā€¦.
2/
ā€¦.carefully positioning your scapegoats (the EU/drs/nurses/teachers/refugeesā€¦.

Youā€™d allow #COVIDDisinformation to run riot, including from the @UKHSA (& conveniently replace #PHE), whilst churning out a #COVIDisOver narrative through a compliant media.
3/
Read 14 tweets
People are being forced to submit photos of themselves holding a local daily paper in order to claim universal credit. One organisation supporting a claimant compared the demands to ā€œwhat kidnappers doā€ bigissue.com/news/social-juā€¦
The instructions are being posted in online universal credit accounts and also tell claimants to have someone else photograph them stood outside their front door ā€“ which must be open ā€“ with the whole property visible
Claimants were not told what they should do if they did not have access to a smart phone, could not get another personā€™s help to take the photos in the time given, could not reach their street sign, if a daily paper was not published in their area or if they could not afford one
Read 7 tweets
Shortages of food, fuel and essentials. Rising costs of food and energy. Taxes going up. People in #Bristol West are seriously worried about the future. So what would Labour do differently? THREAD
The government lurches from crisis to crisis and has no plan to deal with problems as they pile up.

Take the shortage in lorry drivers, causing food and fuel shortages.
Over the last couple of weeks, ministers first denied there was a problem, then tried to blame the public for panic buying, and now they say that this chaos is the intended outcome of their failed Brexit deal.
Read 19 tweets
I didn't sleep last night and I haven't settled yet tonight either.

I'm fairly sad for me about the #UniversalCredit cut, but the weight of the sadness for others is vast.

It's similar to getting the news someone you know is terminally ill.

Deaths are coming. 100% sure.

1/
It'll be lonely middle age men, isolated from their last few pleasures in life, by a whacking cut in their income and a whacking rise in their essential bills all at once.

Someone's brother. Someone's Dad.

2/
It'll be keyworkers, subsumed in months of grinding, constant stress, no longer able to handle the abuse on the petrol station forecourts, or the snappy managers, as burried in it all as they are, and it'll be that last fucking Starbucks they were 30p short for that'll do it.

3/
Read 11 tweets
šŸšØNEW:

Chancellor Rishi Sunak, one of the richest MPs, plans to cut Universal Credit by Ā£20, we're #KeepingTheReceipts on twitter/TikTok:
vm.tiktok.com/ZMR9YK6FG/

Subscribe to our Substack for daily updates from
@receiptkeepers and our weekly newsletter:
keepingthereceipts.substack.com
Is the Secretary for Work and Pensions ThĆ©rĆØse Coffey unaware that lots of people on #UniversalCredit already work themselves to the bone and still can't make ends meet?
And that it actually would take up to 9 extra working hours for #UniversalCredit claimants to recoup their Ā£20-a-week benefit cut? And that this cut is predicted to plunge half a million more people into poverty, including 200,000 children?
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politiā€¦
Read 4 tweets

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