• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Work and Pensions Secretary: 1.4 million claims for Universal Credit

The figure is an increase of 200,000 on the total Therese Coffey gave last week.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2020-04-14 10:49
in News
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

The number of people claiming Universal Credit as a result of the coronavirus crisis has hit 1.4 million, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said.

The figure is an increase of 200,000 on the total Ms Coffey gave last week.

She said the welfare system was “capable of processing and managing those claims” amid concerns of financial hardship for people who are unable to access any of the coronavirus bailout measures.

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

“We’re up to about 1.4 million people who have claimed Universal Credit and also other people who have claimed other things like Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment Support Allowance,” she told Sky News.

“So we are capable of processing and managing those claims.”

Ms Coffey’s comments represent an increase from the figure she gave on April 8 of around 1.2 million people who had made claims since March 16.

Coronavirus debt crisis

Advance payments for Universal Credit claimants must be given as grants, not loans, to prevent a “coronavirus debt crisis”, the Salvation Army said.

RelatedPosts

Water companies have handed out £1 BILLION in dividends in past year

Brits are panic buying again – this time it’s bottled water

As Post Office and BT workers to strike it’s worth watching this Mick Lynch and Eddie Dempsey interview

Train drivers industrial action on Saturday as NHS staff ‘prepared to strike’

Claimants wait five weeks for a first payment after applying for the benefit but can take out an advance loan to help during this time.

But the Salvation Army said this could plunge thousands of citizens into debt, calling it a “point of critical failure that the Government must address”.

Rebecca Keating, the Salvation Army’s director of employment plus, said: “The Universal Credit loan system could cause a coronavirus debt crisis.

“Thousands of people who never thought they would have to rely on state support are now making a Universal Credit claim.

“Many of these will be forced to take out the bridging loan which will just move their money problems five weeks down the line.

“We are particularly concerned by those working on zero hour contracts that don’t have the same legal rights of other employees.

“Many will not have a financial safety net to help avoid getting into debt straight away.”

Related – Half a million Universal Credit claims prove the Chancellor’s measures don’t go far enough

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Mum wins fight for five-year-old daughter to have vegan school meals – citing Human Rights Act

Truss defends ‘hard-headed’ security pact with US and Australia

Size 10 clubber…comes home with suprise baby

Restaurant Review: The Providores & Tapa Room

Vegan group’s ‘animal torture’ claim ad given all clear despite complaint from scientist

Will Scotland vote YES for Independence?

Watch – Presenter wants Harry, Meghan & Archie to lose UK citizenship

The week in Tory is back again…the THIRD time in seven days

Weather forecast, alerts and UVB index for London, Tuesday 23 February 2021

Voice-Controlled Speakers Enable Users to Speak Their Way to a Better Quality of Life

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.