Agenda item

Andy Croy asked the Leader of the Council the following question:

 

Question

In December 2019, before the pandemic, 2,641 households in Wokingham Borough were in receipt of Universal Credit.

 

The latest provisional figures, for May 2021, show 6,547 households in receipt of Universal Credit.  It should be remembered that prior to the pandemic, over 40% of households in receipt of Universal Credit contained one or more people in work.

 

Since May, the opening up of the economy will have reduced the number of households receiving Universal Credit.  Assuming 5,000 of the Borough’s least well-off households are still in receipt of Universal Credit, the recent £20 a week cut to Universal Credit will have taken £100,000 per week out of the budgets of our poorest families - at a single stroke increasing the levels of poverty experienced by thousands and thousands of families in our Borough.

 

What formal representations has Wokingham Borough Council made to the Borough’s four Members of Parliament to stress the need to maintain or restore the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift?

Minutes:

Question:

In December 2019, before the pandemic, 2,641 households in Wokingham Borough were in receipt of Universal Credit.

 

The latest provisional figures, for May 2021, show 6,547 households in receipt of Universal Credit.  It should be remembered that prior to the pandemic, over 40% of households in receipt of Universal Credit contained one or more people in work.

 

Since May, the opening up of the economy will have reduced the number of households receiving Universal Credit.  Assuming 5,000 of the Borough’s least well-off households are still in receipt of Universal Credit, the recent £20 a week cut to Universal Credit will have taken £100,000 per week out of the budgets of our poorest families - at a single stroke increasing the levels of poverty experienced by thousands and thousands of families in our Borough.

 

What formal representations has Wokingham Borough Council made to the Borough’s four Members of Parliament to stress the need to maintain or restore the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift?

 

Answer:

The Council, along with our voluntary and community sector partners are developing an Anti-Poverty Strategy to help address the hardships faced by residents in the Borough on the back of the Covid 19 pandemic.  This strategy works alongside the Recovery Strategy and the Equalities Plan in addressing the challenges faced by residents: tackling inequality.

 

The development of this strategy is underpinned by a Cross Party Working Group, and is being co-designed, co-produced and co-delivered with our VCS partners and their continued engagement and contribution is critical to delivery of the strategy over the five years. 

 

According to the latest information provided by the DWP to the Council, there are 3,630 Wokingham residents in receipt of Universal Credit, of which 1,427 are on Council Tax Support.   This information, along with insights identified by working with VCS groups, has been and continues to be crucial for ensuring that we understand how best to support our residents.  The support has included the allocation of numerous forms of financial assistance to those who have suffered financial hardship throughout the course of the pandemic.

 

Addressing hardship across the Borough is a key priority for me and I see this strategy as a tangible step on the journey, to not only understand the needs of our residents, but to also make clear commitments about how we as a local authority, in conjunction with our VCS partners can work together to make a real difference to local people’s lives.

 

As you know I have been actively lobbying Government, particularly since the onset of the pandemic, to get the best deal for Wokingham residents and I will continue to do so.

 

Supplementary Question:

That sounds like no, and I have to say I am quite stunned that the Borough has not made any formal representation about the scoring of Universal Credit.  The Borough’s Anti Poverty Strategy, such as it is, is going to be totally inadequate in terms of making up for the loss of £20 a week uplift, is it not?

 

Supplementary Answer:

The Council is working in partnership with the VCS to develop an Anti-Poverty strategy that will help address the hardships faced by residents in the Borough on the back of the Covid 19 pandemic.

 

The Council is working in conjunction with the Voluntary and Community sector to ensure the strategy meets the current and future needs of our residents.

 

As part of this work, the Council is working closely with VCS groups to ensure the Household Support Grant can support those most in need over the coming weeks and months.  For example, the provision of food vouchers for families in receipt of Free School Meals in school holidays, this includes the recent October half term and the upcoming Christmas, February and Easter breaks.

 

The Council and VCS are also working in partnership to ensure the Household Support Grant is used to reduce the impact of rising fuel prices through a targeted support model, which includes working with residents to provide advice and help as residents need it during the winter months.