Doncaster event to highlight suffering caused by axing £20 Universal Credit boost

An event is being held in Doncaster to raise awareness of the plight of people affected by Government plans to scrap the covid universal Credit boost.
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The event organised through the UNITE trade union Community offshoot after it was revealed that more than 30,000 people in Doncaster could lose "lifeline" Universal Credit boost. It will will be held at Clock Corner in Doncaster town centre on Tuesday July 27 from 12-2pm,

Organiser Ann Louise-Bayley said; “We want to highlight the awfulness of Universal Credit and raise awareness of the issues many people are facing.

"It is literally starving people.”

People on Universal credit  face a £20 cut  back to pre-covid levels.People on Universal credit  face a £20 cut  back to pre-covid levels.
People on Universal credit face a £20 cut back to pre-covid levels.
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She said she has had to feed two families herself within the last week after their credit was messed up leaving them with no income for the next month.

Ann said: "It’s awful. With the Government allegedly intending to withdraw the extra £20 people have been having, it will plunge so many people into serious poverty.

"£20 a week is a lot of money for some people. People who are unemployed, carers or on low incomes are all going to lose out if the cuts go ahead.”

"Why should I in 2021 have to source food for families. These are working families and Universal Credit has messed up the payments. We are the fifth richest country in in the World. It is going to get a lot worse.

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“I want to publicly ask if the Conservative Nick Fletcher MP can come down so I can ask him: “Why are you starving your constituents?”

Since March 2020, Universal Credit claimants have been receiving an extra £20 a week to help them mitigate the financial impact of Covid-19.

Despite calls to make the uplift permanent, Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed recently that it would be scrapped this autumn as it had always been intended as a temporary measure. This would affect more than 3,000 claimants in Doncaster.

Data from the Department of Work and Pensions shows that in May, there were 35,483 Universal Credit claimants in Doncaster – 12,773 (36 per cent) of whom were in employment.

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