The government axed a pandemic-inspired benefits boost on 6th October and more than 30,000 people in Barnet will now lose around £1,000 a year as a result, figures suggest.

The decision to end the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift has faced strong opposition, with the first ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales among high-profile politicians and campaigners who have urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to scrap the contentious proposals.

In a letter, the leaders said there was no rationale to justify cutting crucial financial support at a point when people across the UK are facing “an unprecedented squeeze on their household budgets.”

Department for Work and Pensions figures show there were 37,623 people claiming Universal Credit in Barnet in July – the latest available data. Of those, 61% were not in work.

Daniel Bamford, chief officer at Citizens Advice Barnet said that the cuts to Universal Credit could force some residents to make tough choices this winter.

He said: “‘the cut to Universal Credit comes at a time when prices are increasing much faster than wages, and it will plunge already struggling households further into debt. Balancing income and expenditure is a delicate act, and this cut will tip the scales heavily in the wrong direction for Barnet families.

“As a local charity, we help thousands of Barnet residents every year with debt and benefits problems, and the cut to Universal Credit will mean more local people having to choose between heating their homes or feeding their children.”

Barnet residents on Universal Income are among more than 5.8 million claimants across the UK who may face a struggle to make ends meet, according to anti-poverty campaigners.

Despite months of campaigning, now the uplift has ended, claimants were expected to receive final payments containing the uplift up to 13th October.

Anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the end of the uplift represented the “biggest ever overnight cut to social security” and claimed the government’s decision could plunge up to half a million people into poverty.

Katie Schmuecker, from the JRF, said: “The Prime Minister is abandoning millions to hunger and hardship with his eyes wide open.”

She added the decision “flies in the face of the government’s mission to unite and level up our country”.

“People’s bills won’t get cheaper from Wednesday and families are already anxious about how they will get through a looming cost of living crisis,” she said.

“This decision shows a total disregard for the consequences.”

A government spokesperson said: “We’ve always been clear that the uplift to Universal Credit and the furlough scheme were temporary.

“They were designed to help claimants through the economic shock and financial disruption of the toughest stages of the pandemic, and they have done so.”

He said Universal Credit would continue to provide support for people in and out of work and added that it was right for the government to focus on its Plan for Jobs, which aims to support people back into work and help those already working to progress.