Universal Credit Cuts

More than 5,000 families in Wimbledon and over 12,000 in Mitcham and Morden are set to lose over £1000 as Conservative government plans “heartless” Universal Credit cut

One in ten Wimbledon families* and over a quarter of families in Mitcham and Morden* are set to lose £1,040 a year at the end of the month as a result of Conservative plans to end the Universal Credit uplift.

Despite opposition from the Liberal Democrats, who have warned that half a million families – and 200,000 children – will be pushed into poverty, the Conservative government plans to proceed with a £20 a week cut to Universal Credit on October 6.

The move has been branded “heartless” by Cllr Paul Kohler, the Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson for Wimbledon.

“This cut is the difference for many between being able to feed your children and seeing them go hungry”, said Cllr Kohler. “It is heart-breaking, after everything people in Wimbledon have been put through during the pandemic, that so many families here in Wimbledon will be forced into such a desperate situation as a result of the Conservatives’ callousness and incompetence.

“This heartless cut is yet another example of the Conservatives’ inability to understand the pressure ordinary people in Wimbledon are under, and yet another example of their willingness to wrench away a vital lifeline at a time when families can least afford it.

“The government must reverse this cut. I and the Liberal Democrats will continue to campaign to make the Universal Credit uplift permanent, and to ensure that all people in Wimbledon have the financial security to look after their families and live their lives.”

Liberal Democrats are planning to fight the cut in Parliament to prevent it coming into effect.

“Just as we begin to hope that Covid is being tamed in the UK, the Government is ripping support from millions of families across the country”, said the Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions Spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain MP. “We cannot have a full recovery if families are struggling to make ends meet.

“The Prime Minister's claim that he wants people to live by their own ‘efforts’ rather than ‘welfare’ shows how out of touch he really is. With almost half of those receiving Universal Credit already in work and with many having young families, this cut will leave parents and their children behind despite their efforts.”

* Figures from Joseph Rowntree Foundation analysis, available here.