As Amber Rudd admits Universal Credit is linked to a rise in food bank use, the Trussell Trust is calling for an end to the five week wait for first payments under the new system.
Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “It’s promising to see the Secretary of State is listening to the evidence of food banks across the UK. We’re a country that prides itself on making sure proper support is in place for each other when help is most needed – our benefits system was created to do exactly this. But Universal Credit isn’t the poverty-fighting reform that was promised.
“What we need now is action, to address the reasons why Universal Credit has forced some people to food banks. Five weeks is too long to wait for Universal Credit. It’s leaving many people without enough money to cover the basics. The changes the government has made so far won’t stop people needing food banks – the best way to make sure no one needs a food bank while waiting for Universal Credit is to end the five week wait.”
* Trussell Trust https://www.trusselltrust.org/
[Ekk/6]
Diaspora*
Digg
Reddit
Newsvine
Technorati
StumbleUpon