Poverty charity Turn2us's response to the Budget

Thomas Lawson, Chief Executive of Turn2us responds:

“The change to the Universal Credit taper rate from 63p to 55p and increase to work allowances are welcome steps to make sure that people on low incomes keep more of their hard-earned wages. Yet for many people this will not make up for the £20 a week cut made earlier this month. Those of us who will gain from this change the most are working full time. For single parents and others with caring responsibilities the benefits will be smaller. And for people unable to work at all, this will do nothing to help with the rising cost of living.”

“The planned increase of the National Living Wage to £9.50 is similarly a welcome boost to working families’ incomes. However, this will not support the millions of us unable to work due to disabilities or caring responsibilities. The government must do more to make sure these groups are not left behind, especially as they are the most likely to face deeper poverty.”

“We were greatly disappointed to see a lack of long-term investment in crisis support. We’ve been calling for £250m a year to properly fund Local Welfare Assistance schemes, so that councils can step in to prevent families from facing financial crisis. Even relatively small amounts of money can go a long way in providing families with the breathing space they need to find their feet again in the face of sudden costs. Councils have done a fantastic job of providing additional support to people facing crisis during the pandemic and it’s short sighted that the government has not funded this.”