Hackney families were recently hit by a £20 per week cut to Universal Credit. There are 16,760 households in Hackney South and Shoreditch on Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit, which meant a total cut of £17,430,400 in our constituency. 6 in 10 of all single-parent families in the UK will be hit. It will bring the basic rate of benefits to its lowest level since 1990. 

I wrote to the Department for Work and Pensions and urged the Government to provide proper financial support to those affected by this cut. Click the pdf link below to read the response I received from the Minister for Welfare Delivery.

The recently announced partial U-turn to the change in the taper rate for Universal Credit (the amount of Universal Credit withdrawn for each pound earned through work) is welcome. But this only supports people earning above the work allowance and does nothing for those unable to work due to sickness or disability. It is clear that the Government does not understand the reality on the ground. Promises to help people get into work offer little comfort to the 60 per cent of families on Universal Credit who are already in work.

I will continue working with my frontbench Labour colleague to press the Government to change its mind.