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CAS - MP Briefing on Spring Budget, 24 February 2021

From March 2020 to January 2021, Citizens Advice Bureaux have provided over 131,000 pieces of advice on Universal Credit (UC).

› The £20 a week uplift brought the value of UC back in line with increases to the cost of living over the past 8 years, following years of below inflation increases and freezes.
› If the £20 weekly increase is removed, UC will be worth 11.5% less in real terms than it was when introduced in 2013.
› The uplift increases the number of CAB clients with complex debt needs who are able to meet essential living costs by 28%.
› Without the uplift, nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of CAB complex debt clients will be unable to meet essential living costs.
› If the uplift is removed, 60,000 people in Scotland including 20,000 children will be pushed into poverty.

CAS is calling for: The £20 a week UC uplift to be made permanent in the March 3rd Budget.

Author
David Scott
Publication date
February 2021
Publication type
Policy
Number of pages
3