Universal Credit Uplift

Marina Ahmad AM proposed, and Léonie Cooper AM seconded the following motion:

"This Assembly notes that the Government are removing the £20 a week Universal Credit (UC) uplift on 30 September 2021 despite no impact assessment having been carried out. This Assembly also notes research commissioned by City Hall in February 2021 found that the removal of the £20-a-week increase to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit would put 100,000 more Londoners into poverty, including more than 30,000 children. This Assembly is concerned that this number is likely to be higher now that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been tapered off, ending also on 30 September 2021.

This Assembly notes the disproportionate impact on Londoners that the removal of the UC uplift will have as research found that more than half would be from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, one in three would be single parents, and one in ten would be disabled.

In light of the Mayor’s evidence, this Assembly is concerned that the removal of the UC uplift could lead to an increase in Londoners living in poverty at a time unemployment is expected to peak. Therefore, this Assembly calls on the Mayor and the Chair of the Assembly to urgently write separate letters to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Sunak MP, to urge him to make the UC uplift permanent, for the UC uplift to be maintained, to extend this uplift to legacy benefits and to remove the benefit cap.”

Following debate and upon being put to the vote, the motion in the name of Marina Ahmad AM was agreed, with 15 votes being cast in favour and 8 votes being cast against.