Universal Credit must be realistic

Bob Bevil from Chipping Barnet Foodbank says benefits do not take account of living costs

A row of plastic containers of vegetables in the foreground with foodbank volunteers in the background — Volunteers at one of the borough’s foodbanks – (Credit – Burnt Oak Community Food Bank)

Dear Barnet Post,

You reported on 19^th March that Barnet Council had been accredited as a Living Wage employer. I hope that the Royal Free Foundation Trust follows suit soon.

Undertaken by the Resolution Foundation on behalf of the Living Wage Foundation, the Living Wage is calculated precisely using a grounded methodology that includes household living costs, assumes every family has claimed all the benefits it is entitled to, and adjusts for any tax variations (among many other variables).

By contrast, the level at which Universal Credit has been set is historical, arbitrary and not from the bottom up. It bears no reality to day-to-day living expenses, and it is precisely the essentials like bread and milk that have gone up the most.

In short, there is no independent cost-of-living standard against which to anchor any calculations for UC to. A single adult aged under 25 is currently expected to live on £338.58 per month.

There must be merit in calculating UC similarly to the Living Wage so that it is relevant and realistic. Trussell are currently campaigning on this and for more information see https://www.trussell.org.uk/support-us/campaign/guarantee-our-essentials

Bob Bevil

Chipping Barnet Foodbank (Part of the Trussell Network)

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