Universal credit £20 uplift to continue for another six months

The £20 “temporary” uplift in universal credit, announced at the start of the Covid-19 crisis, will roll on for another six months I understand - subject to a final sign off by the prime minister. https://www.itv.com/news/2021-02-19/peston-universal-credit-20-uplift-to-continue-for-another-six-months

Yes , think they feel millions of jobs will just reappear. It's given the tories sleepless nights having to up UC to a level of which in real terms would have been 2008 onwards or, maybe just standing still.

The should make it permanent. They won't though , as the benefits payments for single adults will be far too close to low paid "jobs".And they know there was and very likely to be many more of them.

No-one on legacy benefits gets that extra £20 per week.

Absolut wrote:No-one on legacy benefits gets that extra £20 per week.

Quite shocking really. If we take JSA and assume a single 25+ year old. They get...

£148.70 every 2 weeks
£297.40 every 4 weeks ('monthly')

25+ and single on UC will get you £409.89 monthly, how is this fair to those on JSA? How difficult can it be for their systems to add the increase?

Can only assume its a coercion tactic to get people to transfer to UC.

parker123 wrote:Can only assume its a coercion tactic to get people to transfer to UC.

A carrot, rather than a stick, except there's a big stick behind the carrot The rules aren't so tough on JSA or ESA which is why we've not transferred over for that extra money.

The £20 uplift won’t tackle pandemic poverty – we need a living income

The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities, write Dominic Caddick and Lukasz Krebel in Tribune:

“Despite all of the government’s tinkering, many people continue to face the impossible choice of going into work and putting themselves at risk or trying to survive on inadequate benefits or the UK’s painfully low statutory sick pay. If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it should be that if we don’t protect everyone, we don’t protect anyone.”

https://neweconomics.org/2021/03/the-20-uplift-wont-tackle-pandemic-poverty-we-need-a-living-income