Yahoo News Universal Credit map shows areas of Nottinghamshire that rely the most on benefit
An interactive map shows which areas of Nottinghamshire rely on Universal Credit (UC) most after researchers found that the standard rate was not enough for food and basic essentials. Research carried out by Trussell and the Joseph Roundtree Foundation (JRF) calculates that the standard rate of Universal Credit falls short of the weekly amount needed to pay for food, utility bills, clothing, travel, phone and internet use, and other basic costs.
This means that even people who are claiming the benefit while also holding down a job could be forced to make difficult choices on what to go without in hard times. This could mean missing a meal, going hours without heating or even reducing the amount of showers/baths they take in a week.
Government figures show that as of October, more than 7.1 million people were in receipt of UC, the catch-all benefit that replaces Housing Benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit and Income Support. Of those claimants, around 2.7 million (37 per cent) were also in paid employment but still had to rely on UC to try to make ends meet.
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This means six per cent of the UK's working-age population need the extra support, despite being in employment. However, in some parts of the country, the proportion of people working and claiming UC is much higher.
In Boston, Lincolnshire, 11 per cent of the working-age population have a job yet still need to claim UC, the highest proportion in the country. This can be compared to the Nottinghamshire area with the highest percentage, Mansfield, with eight per cent (one in 13) claiming UC while in work.
That's 5,702 people in work claiming UC out of the 14,348 claimants across the town. The Nottinghamshire area with the lowest percentage of people claiming UC while in work is Rushcliffe, with just one in 29 people (three per cent) claiming UC while in work.
Campaigners argue that Britain’s social security system should ensure that everyone can afford basic essentials, even in tough times. Trussell and JRF analysis estimates that £120 is needed by a single person per week to pay for basic essentials, or £200 for a couple.
They say a commitment that UC should cover the cost of basic needs should be enshrined in an “Essentials Guarantee” to ensure no family has to do without. However, the charities say the standard rate of UC is “now at around its lowest ever level as a proportion of average earnings”.
Currently, a single person under the age of 25 gets £311.68 per month, or about £72 per week, and a couple £489.23 per month (about £113 per week). Over 25s receive £393.45 per month (£91 per week) for a single person or £617.60 per month (£143 per week) for a couple.
That means single people aged 25 and over are short by about £29, under-25s by £48, and couples by £57, or £87 if both are under 25.
