Turn2us response ahead of benefit uprating decision linked to October inflation figures

Anna Stevenson, Benefits Expert at Turn2us says:  

“Raising the Universal Credit standard allowance above inflation is a step in the right direction, but it comes after decades of erosion. 

"Support remains at one of its lowest ever levels in real terms and as a proportion of average earnings. 

"Many households will still struggle to meet basic costs because rents, childcare and energy have risen far faster.  

"Rent is one of the biggest pressures on people’s incomes, yet help with private rent has been frozen. 

"Around 40% of the people using our Benefits Calculator say they can’t afford food, and more than 600,000 households on transitional protection won’t see any increase at all because their payments are frozen in cash terms. 

"That’s why we’re supporting the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Trussell Trust’s proposal for an Essentials Guarantee, which would set a legal minimum so Universal Credit always covers life’s basics like food, heating and rent. Without that, people will continue to fall further behind even when benefits rise on paper.”