People who have needed the support of the food bank and its staff will attend the Darren Jones MP’s town hall meeting on Saturday 9th to call for change
Bristol, UK — November 7, 2024 — The group will be asking the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones to introduce an Essentials Guarantee into Universal Credit, to ensure that the basic rate would cover the cost of essentials like food, household bills and travel.
Currently 5 in 6 households in receipt of Universal Credit are unable to afford the essentials they need to survive such as food, clothes, utilities, cleaning items and transport. The lack of adequate Universal Credit support alongside the rising cost of essentials is the leading cause of food bank use in Bristol, according to Bristol North West Foodbank.
An ‘Essentials Guarantee’ is needed to ensure that people receive a minimum amount of support from our social security system so they are able to cover the cost of essentials. An Essentials Guarantee would:
Set a minimum level of the social security payment so people are less likely to need to turn to a food bank – An independent process would regularly determine the Essentials Guarantee level based on the cost of essentials like food, utilities, and household goods.
Josephine Robinson, who has lived experience of coming to the food bank said: “After working and paying taxes I feel betrayed that now I’m not receiving an amount that would let me live a life free of stress and worry.
“It’s a big decision every night, shall we turn the hot water on, shall we wash up, can we turn the heating on… the stress and isolation of this situation can have a severe effect on your mental health”.
Spokesperson for the food bank, Eleni Morus, said: “It’s a welcome relief to see the UK government make a first step towards an Essentials Guarantee, by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate in Universal Credit. This will reduce the amount that can be taken off payments to repay debts – often to the DWP itself for things like loans to cover the five-week wait for a first payment, but also to third parties like utility companies.
“It’s a significant change – where 25% of a basic payment (‘standard allowance’) can currently be clawed back, this will be limited to 15%. For a person over 25 facing the maximum rate of deductions, that’s nearly £40 more a month in their pocket than they’d have otherwise. The government estimates people will gain around £420 a year on average.
“This isn’t the full solution to ensure people can afford essentials, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. While the first steps announced in the budget are welcome, there is much more to do to achieve an Essentials Guarantee and drastically reduce food bank use across the UK.
“As a key member of the Treasury, the group will continue to ask Darren Jones MP to advocate for an Essentials Guarantee in Parliament, which would support his constituents and people across the UK who are having to turn to food banks to get by.”
For more information please contact:
