Almost half of people on Universal Credit ran out of food in the last month and didn’t have money to buy more, a chilling report found.
Charity the Trussell Trust found that nearly seven in 10 working people receiving the benefit had gone out without essentials in the last six months. It estimates that 1.6million who claim Universal Credit have used food banks in the past year as it warned of a “crisis of hardship” across the UK.
Researchers found 46% are either behind on bills or credit commitments. It sparked calls for the “inadequate” benefit system to be overhauled ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves ‘ Budget on October 30.
Trussell Trust chief executive Emma Revie said: “This research lays bare the stark truth about the current crisis of hardship across the UK. The inadequacy of Universal Credit means that people are being pushed to the doors of food banks because they simply do not have enough money for food.
“These findings show clearly that people cannot wait for an economic turnaround to improve their current situations.” Layla, who has needed the support of food banks, said: “I had to stop working due to my health, but then my disability payments were stopped.
“It didn’t make sense, because my conditions hadn’t changed but as a knock-on effect the rest of my benefits were reduced drastically. I could just about cover my housing and bills, but it wouldn’t stretch to food.
“When I realised, I didn’t have enough money to buy the essentials that I needed, it was soul destroying. I didn’t have any options, I didn’t want to have to go to the food bank, to actually accept that help was very hard.
“Not having enough money is so stressful, you have so little control over your income when you’re on benefits and the system needs a complete overhaul so people can actually afford the essentials, we all need. It’s not right that people are left struggling, the benefits system needs a complete overhaul.”
The study, published on Tuesday, found 48% of people claiming Universal Credit have run out of food in the past month. And 68% of working households who get UC have gone without essentials in the last six months.
It warned that a five-week delay getting payments mean claimants end up taking out loans from the Government – which means they then have deductions. These “play a significant role in driving people into deeper and deeper hardship”, the trust said.
Jane Baker, who leads the Newcastle-Staffs Foodbank said: “We are here to provide emergency food and support to people in our community, but we are increasingly seeing people in need because Universal Credit simply doesn’t provide enough to cover the essentials. In the words of one person who needed our help ‘By week 3, things are tight, by week 4, there is nothing left’.
“Ahead of another difficult winter, we need urgent action from the government to provide immediate relief for those facing hardship in our community.”
An online survey of 2,077 adults was carried out by YouGov between July 29 and August 23.