End of benefit freeze won’t end choice between heating and eating because increases will be too low
Citizens Advice has just confirmed what many of us have known for some time – that the end of the Tory benefit freeze won’t help people who are struggling to make ends meet.
The simple fact is that the freeze, alongside inflationary price increases, mean people on benefits simply don’t receive enough to afford the basic human rights.
And any increase approved by the Tories will only continue the hardship.
So, if you’re on benefits – even if you’re working – you still have to decide between buying food or heating your home.
According to Citizens Advice, the number of people who are unable to cover basic living costs has increased since the benefits freeze came into force in 2016.
In the first five months of the current financial year, 40 per cent of the people the charity helped with debt who claim income-related benefits didn’t have enough money to cover their living costs – an increase of 25% since the freeze came into effect.
However, the charity argues that ending the freeze won’t be enough to help people … and are calling for wider reforms to the benefits system to ensure that payments cover day-to-day living costs.
This includes ensuring Universal Credit gives people enough to live on by reviewing areas such as the amount of money retained by working claimants, and deductions for those dealing with debts or repaying advance payments.
Fat chance!
We’ve been down this road enough times already. The Tories won’t budge.
They know it pushes people into hardship; they know it nudges some people to consider – and others, regrettably, to go through with – suicide. And they simply don’t care. It’s time we all understood that.
Source: Ending the benefits freeze is unlikely to help those forced to choose between heating and eating
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Hay only following orders was the reply yet aktion T4 keeps getting better at its culling of the stock through benefits denial.
An extra quid a week makes no difference at all, it will be cancelled out by the inevitable increase in Council Tax when the new bill comes. UK Benefits were described as being inadequate about 5 or 6 years ago by the Council of Europe. JSA (which I’m still on) needs to be at least £90 per week.