More than 500 Kirklees families had their Universal Credit axed in one month
The number of families impacted by the benefit cap in Kirklees has risen by almost three-quarters, show new figures.
According to figures from the Department for Work and Pensions there were 548 households who were receiving Universal Credit in Kirklees who had their income cut off by the policy in May 2024. This was an increase of 72% on February, when 318 households had their income restricted.
The cap itself was last raised in April 2023, despite benefits rising by 6.7% in April 2024, and it currently strands at £22,020 for families with children in Yorkshire and most of Britain. In London, it sits at £25,323.
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If you are due to receive more than this amount in benefits, you will have your income cut off.
Nationwide, 118,000 households on Universal Credit had their income capped this financial quarter, an increase of 61%. Most of these, were households with children.
Now, a number of charities have urged for the cap to be abolished. Matt Downie, the Chief Executive of homelessness charity Crisis, called this increase "staggering". "Behind these figures are struggling parents who will be spending anxious nights worrying about how they will put food on the table or keep a roof over their children’s heads," he said.
"While the amount low-income households receive to help pay their rent rose earlier this year, we know for thousands this vital support will have been completely wiped out by the impact of the cap. We cannot build a stable nation if we’re giving with one hand and taking with another."
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In Kirklees, 71% of families capped were headed by one parent, more than in February, when these made up 50%.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, called the cap "cruel and nonsensical", saying families often living in cramped temporary accommodation are trapped in homelessness and poverty.
Families are often crammed into a single room, sharing beds, while children have no space to play or do their homework, and the cap makes it impossible for them to move on to any affordable home. "With a record number of children growing up homeless in temporary accommodation, if the Government is serious about tackling child poverty, it must take immediate action.
"The benefit cap must be scrapped so families can move on from damaging temporary accommodation into a settled home."
London had the highest proportion of households on Universal Credit in the Britain affected by the benefit cap, at 5.1%. Meanwhile, Scotland had the lowest proportion, at 0.7%.
A government spokesperson said: "This is another example of the dire inheritance this Government faces – too many people are trapped on benefits.
“We are taking bold action to support people into work, through reforming job centres and giving local areas the power they need to tackle economic inactivity, which will boost their finances and reduce the likelihood of being impacted by the cap.
"We are committed to supporting low-income families and our ambitious strategy along with a £421 million extension to the Household Support Fund will ensure we can drive down poverty in every part of the country."