DWP confirms Universal Credit fee increase rising to £760
Almost four million households on Universal Credit will receive above-inflation increases
Everyone affected by the Universal Credit changes will receive tailored assistance(Image: fizkes via Getty Images)
The Department for Work and Pensions has revealed welfare changes aimed at rebalancing the benefits system and helping more people secure employment. This follows Universal Credit legislation being presented in Parliament this week.
The system inherited from the previous Government means people claiming Universal Credit for health reasons receive more than double the amount of a single person seeking work and aren’t provided with assistance to move closer to – or into – employment. To provide people with the help they’ve been denied for so long, the Labour government says it is putting over £3.5 billion into employment support by the end of the decade, ensuring everyone affected by the Universal Credit changes will be offered tailored assistance to access the skills they need to advance, secure good, stable jobs, and improve their living standards – creating a growing workforce and a thriving economy for the future.
As part of the Government’s commitment to addressing the cost of living crisis, the changes will also see nearly four million households on the standard rate of Universal Credit receive the first sustained above-inflation rise to the benefit, reports Birmingham Live.
The increase is worth approximately £295 extra this year in cash terms for a single person aged 25 or over, climbing to £760 by the end of the decade, and means those who are job-hunting and in employment will have more money in their pocket as they strive to enter and progress at work.
The DWP said: “It comes alongside a wider support offer that meets sick or disabled people where they are. WorkWell is now rolling out across England supporting up to 250,000 more people, whilst Connect to Work will provide personalised help for 300,000 people over the next five years.
“With 2.8 million people currently out of work due to long-term sickness, these measures are central to the government’s Plan for Change to break down barriers to opportunity and get Britain working.”
