More than 8,000 Hartlepool children could be affected by cut in Universal Credit

More than 8,000 children in Hartlepool could be affected by a cut in Universal Credit, according to a regional child poverty campaigner.
Amanda Bailey, director of the North East Child Poverty Commission.Amanda Bailey, director of the North East Child Poverty Commission.
Amanda Bailey, director of the North East Child Poverty Commission.

The North East Child Poverty Commission has renewed calls for the Government to reverse an impending £20 a week cut to Universal Credit after figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions confirm the number of children and young people across the North East who will be directly affected by the move.

As of May 2021 – the latest available household-level figures – some 208,470 households across the region were in receipt of Universal Credit, 42% of which are families with children.

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In Hartlepool, the figures show 10,503 households are currently in receipt of Universal credit, with a total of 8,113 children and young people in those households, with the cut set to take effect in six weeks time.

The commission recently co-ordinated a cross-sector letter from organisations across the North East, as part of the #KeepTheLifeLine campaign, which urged the Chancellor not to go ahead with the reduction.

Commission director Amanda Bailey said: “Even before Covid-19 hit, our region had one of the highest rates of child poverty in the country and the £20 a week increase to Universal Credit has therefore been a lifeline for families across the North East, both in and out of work.

“Taking this away, in what would be the biggest overnight cut to social security since the Second World War, will push even more families in the North East into poverty and cause severe hardship for those already struggling to stay afloat.

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“It’s not too late for the Government to do the right thing.”

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