£20 A Week Reduction For Some On Universal Credit Or Tax Credit.

[sandyRoe]

I know the payment supposed to be temporary but recipients will have become accustomed to it.
Why couldn't it have been continued?

[Mamyalynne]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41487126

[ladybirder]

Because the country is in debt up to its eyeballs.

[anneasquith]

I wasn’t aware this had been introduced. £20 is a lot of money for some people .

[Hopkirk]

The clue is in the word 'temporary'

[New Judge]

The question that should really be asked is why was it introduced in the first place. Apparently it was to "help struggling families during the pandemic." Many State Pensioners endured the pandemic too. It's arguable whether either group suffered any additional struggles because of the pandemic but if one did, so did the other. But State Pensions were not augmented similarly.

It was absolutely guaranteed when this was first introduced that there would be moves to retain it. A case study (from the BBC):

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"Twenty pounds doesn't sound much - but it's been a lifeline," says Ester de Roij. "When you haven't got much, taking away a little is a lot."

The freelance wildlife camerawoman is referring to a highly-charged debate over Universal Credit (UC) and plans to trim payments by £20 a week.

Last April, Chancellor Rishi Sunak introduced a £20 uplift to UC as part of his economic support measures, with Ester one of about six million people benefitting.

But the top-up was for a year only, and is due to end in March unless the man who controls Britain's purse strings agrees an extension in next week's Budget.

Ester says that before lockdown, after years of hard work, her career was just starting to pay financial dividends. Now she lives with the anxiety that comes with counting the pennies.

She hasn't worked since December 2019, and her last commission was cancelled a week before the first lockdown in March. Apart from a possible job in August, there's nothing on the horizon.

"I know it might sound odd to some people, but when I got that extra £20 a week it offered a little glimmer of hope," she says. "It's like that glimmer of hope is being taken away."
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It seems Ms de Roij last worked in December 2019. It's unclear why she stopped work before the pandemic began in earnest. What is also unclear is why she cannot do something other than shoot wildlife films. There are plenty of jobs around in hospitality and driving, which I imagine she could do. There is no need for the country to pay her because there is no wildlife film work available. Paying her an extra £1,040 a year will only make her less likely to seek alternativie work.

[Espresso125]

because we, you and me etc are paying for it..
why it was introduce in the first place interests me