Hi
I have twice now claimed UC - once for a period in 2019 and then again from this summer. This second period I have benefited (no pun intended) from the temporary extra £20pw.
I can say it has made a massive difference compared to when I was on UC the first time.
I am a full time employed lone parent and both times of claiming UC have been due to a relationship breakdown. I have 50-50 share of my children.
The extra £20pw has enabled me to move to a rented property that is closer to the children's school, which is more expensive to rent but I do gain a little bit by not having the extra travel costs.
The loss of the £20pw in April will not mean I have to move - the property is too good to let go - but it will mean I would have to make cut backs somewhere else.
I pay my gas and electric monthly per usage which helps me to budget on a tight income as I can work out what bill is coming, but I am not sure it is the cheapest way to pay for the utilities. That is something I can look at.
I am trying to keep afloat by budgeting in all sorts of ways - so the loss of the £20pw would have a huge impact. I am not sure I can afford to cut back on anything other than debt repayments. Meaning my debt from the relationship breakdowns will extend further.
I can manage that while I have a job. But that future isn't a rosy picture either.
I can see why the government injected this money because with the lockdown and working from home, kids not at school there were more costs - electricity, more food eaten, etc. But I also know that people on working-age benefits have been through 5+ years of austerity and a benefit freeze. So the extra £20 was needed anyway.
And I cannot understand why they did not pass this on to the "legacy" benefits either - people on those benefit have suffered just as much too.
So I not only think the £20 has to stay, it needs expanding to all working-age benefits.
The other issue is the Local Housing Allowance which is used to calculate the housing costs in my UC. Its at the bottom 30% of the rented market, so most people do not get full help with their rent. The flat I am in is of great benefit to the kids who are near school and friends. Their emotional well-being needs attending to also and one way is to have settled time while they are at school.
Alas, I cannot see either the £20 being extended or staying, nor the LHA being increased. This is very much a worry!
{
"tags": [
"xUfohvaJSKTlYdwicbFG",
"p4jZnlSW66PG8tY466Lv",
"9NhUzpuQEa863xu8Nrhg"
],
"updatedBy": "rOISUynFBNUZFrEibOysifH0R9F2",
"type": "video_response",
"readBy": "AfFOmTZWGrVKbCC0IuLGHYhmlhp2",
"created": 1602188611753,
"video_response": {
"type": "text",
"question_share_id": "fhmtlswrs",
"answers": [
{
"text": "Yes",
"question": "Are you on Universal Credit?",
"created_at": "2020-10-08T20:05:11.842601Z",
"type": "poll"
},
{
"type": "text",
"question": "How has the extra £20 a week helped?",
"text": "Hi\n\nI have twice now claimed UC - once for a period in 2019 and then again from this summer. This second period I have benefited (no pun intended) from the temporary extra £20pw.\n\nI can say it has made a massive difference compared to when I was on UC the first time.\n\nI am a full time employed lone parent and both times of claiming UC have been due to a relationship breakdown. I have 50-50 share of my children.\n\nThe extra £20pw has enabled me to move to a rented property that is closer to the children's school, which is more expensive to rent but I do gain a little bit by not having the extra travel costs.\n\nThe loss of the £20pw in April will not mean I have to move - the property is too good to let go - but it will mean I would have to make cut backs somewhere else.\n\nI pay my gas and electric monthly per usage which helps me to budget on a tight income as I can work out what bill is coming, but I am not sure it is the cheapest way to pay for the utilities. That is something I can look at.\n\nI am trying to keep afloat by budgeting in all sorts of ways - so the loss of the £20pw would have a huge impact. I am not sure I can afford to cut back on anything other than debt repayments. Meaning my debt from the relationship breakdowns will extend further.\n\nI can manage that while I have a job. But that future isn't a rosy picture either.\n\nI can see why the government injected this money because with the lockdown and working from home, kids not at school there were more costs - electricity, more food eaten, etc. But I also know that people on working-age benefits have been through 5+ years of austerity and a benefit freeze. So the extra £20 was needed anyway.\n\nAnd I cannot understand why they did not pass this on to the \"legacy\" benefits either - people on those benefit have suffered just as much too.\n\nSo I not only think the £20 has to stay, it needs expanding to all working-age benefits.\n\nThe other issue is the Local Housing Allowance which is used to calculate the housing costs in my UC. Its at the bottom 30% of the rented market, so most people do not get full help with their rent. The flat I am in is of great benefit to the kids who are near school and friends. Their emotional well-being needs attending to also and one way is to have settled time while they are at school.\n\nAlas, I cannot see either the £20 being extended or staying, nor the LHA being increased. This is very much a worry!",
"created_at": "2020-10-08T20:23:31.753367Z"
},
{
"type": "poll",
"question": "Can we make your entry public and anonymous?",
"created_at": "2020-10-08T20:23:39.011472Z",
"text": "Yes, please share it"
}
],
"text": "Hi Ruth\n\nI have twice now claimed UC - once for a period in 2019 and then again from this summer. This second period I have benefited (no pun intended) from the temporary extra £20pw. \n\nI can say it has made a massive difference compared to when I was on UC the first time. \n\nI am a full time employed lone parent and both times of claiming UC have been due to a relationship breakdown. I have 50-50 share of my children. \n\nThe extra £20pw has enabled me to move to a rented property that is closer to the children's school, which is more expensive to rent but I do gain a little bit by not having the extra travel costs. \n\nThe loss of the £20pw in April will not mean I have to move - the property is too good to let go - but it will mean I would have to make cut backs somewhere else.\n\nI pay my gas and electric monthly per usage which helps me to budget on a tight income as I can work out what bill is coming, but I am not sure it is the cheapest way to pay for the utilities. That is something I can look at. \n\nI am trying to keep afloat by budgeting in all sorts of ways - so the loss of the £20pw would have a huge impact. I am not sure I can afford to cut back on anything other than debt repayments. Meaning my debt from the relationship breakdowns will extend further. \n\nI can manage that while I have a job. But that future isn't a rosey picture either. \n\nI can see why the government injected this money because with the lockdown and working from home, kids not at school there were more costs - electricity, more food eaten, etc. But I also know that people on working-age benefits have been through 5+ years of austerity and a benefit freeze. So the extra £20 was needed anyway. \n\nAnd I cannot understand why they did not pass this on to the \"legacy\" benefits either - people on those benefit have suffered just as much too. \n\nSo I not only think the £20 has to stay, it needs expanding to all working-age benefits. \n\nThe other issue is the Local Housing Allowance which is used to calculate the housing costs in my UC. Its at the bottom 30% of the rented market, so most people do not get full help with their rent. The flat I am in is of great benefit to the kids who are near school and friends. Their emotional well-being needs attending to also and one way is to have settled time while they are at school. \n\nAlas, I cannot see either the £20 being extended or staying, nor the LHA being increased. This is very much a worry!",
"mixed": true,
"question_title": "How has the extra £20 a week helped?",
"question_thumb": "https://media.videoask.com/transcoded/f445e7e5-5053-493f-bcce-33dc99ea6cd3/thumbnails/preview.gif"
},
"published": 1628674209930,
"audited": 1628674209930,
"auditedBy": "rOISUynFBNUZFrEibOysifH0R9F2",
"updated": 1628674220761,
"user": "BUSLuSnRW2cYBL95BD9a0TvMTq53",
"read": 1602833484654,
"publishedBy": "rOISUynFBNUZFrEibOysifH0R9F2",
"id": "7Rz1PAp3DcyogSE6wCaJ",
"privacy": 2,
"alias": "Syeda F",
"random": 17,
"objectID": "7Rz1PAp3DcyogSE6wCaJ"
}
Get regular updates on the Covid Realities project. Enter your email address below.
Add me ☛
Your details are safe with us. We will never share them with anyone else, and it’s easy to opt-out at any time. Check out our privacy policy.