| UPDATED: 15:56, Fri, Feb 26, 2021
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It s nearly a year on since Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first UK lockdown measures, with the stringent rules being intended to slow the spread of coronavirus. Aware of her own health and immune system, Melissa , 41, knew early on in the outbreak that it was not a wise move for her to go out and socialise .
An additional 100,000 Londoners could be “plunged into poverty” without further support from the Government, according to new research. The research, commissioned by City Hall and carried out by the University of Essex, found that 100,000 more Londoners will face poverty if the Government goes ahead with plans to remove the £20 a week uplift in Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits. With Rishi Sunak’s budget statement set for next week, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called on the Chancellor to keep the “lifeline” increase and extend it to other benefits. Mr Khan said: “The pandemic has had a devastating impact on our city, but the Government’s increase to Universal Credit has provided a lifeline for thousands of Londoners who are struggling. And even before the pandemic, London had some of the highest levels of poverty in the whole country, and the fallout from the virus risks making this even worse.
How to check if you re due to be paid a £25 weekly Cold Weather Payment
Post codes in the County Durham and Northumberland are among the locations where it s been cold enough for the £25 benefit
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At the start of the pandemic the Tory UK Government did the right thing as they uprated Universal Credit by £20 per week.
It was an unspoken acknowledgement that after years of austerity cuts Universal Credit wasn’t sufficient to get by on.
Indeed, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, even with the £1040 uplift this year, families unable to find work will on average receive £1,600 less per year in social security support than they would have done in 2011. Those with children will receive £2,900 less.
And it is even worse for larger families – because of the two child limit, they will lose £5,400 each year.
| UPDATED: 07:31, Thu, Jan 28, 2021
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Universal Credit can help provide people with financial support if they are struggling with unemployment or if they have a low income. Claimants of Universal Credit are usually asked to make an agreement called a ‘Claimant Commitment’ with their designated work coach in order to receive the benefit. This means claimants may have to undergo certain activities, such as looking for and applying for jobs. But in some cases, people will not have to do this if it is decided they have a limited capability for work (LCW) or a limited capability fo