Syeda F on 29 January 2021
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Q. Are you currently receiving Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit?
Yes, I am receiving UC or WTC
Q. What difference to your life has the extra £20 per week made, and what difference would it make if it was taken away?
Hi I receive the extra £20pw. I Also know that the government didn't reduce the housing element I get in my UC too. Both these things they did because of the pandemic. Both of these things help me enormously. When I first began in this project I felt that I was coping well. As time has gone on, I have realised more just how these "extra" benefits have helped me. Mainly this is through supporting me to keep the house warm, to keep food going and to buy things to keep the girls entertained. I am a lone parent on UC, with two teenage girls. I have 50-50 shared care for them but it has been cold since October. And they are growing. And now back with home schooling they need some form of entertainment - mainly craft, but also computer games. Not the cheapest of things but it helps with their mental health. And still I do not have a budget for clothes - for me or for them. I heard someone once saying recently because we are not going out we do not need new clothes. Yeah, that's true for adults. But its not for growing teenagers. They make do with shorter leggings, but some clothes are beginning not to fit comfortably. I need to address this but without the £20 and my local housing allowance increasing, the clothing budget will never get off the ground. This £20 isn't a Covid budget - its money taken from benefits since 2010. Austerity cannot be allowed to come back. All it takes is one cough and all aspects of society begin to suffer.
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