Universal credit cuts will hit Rochdale families hard

Hundreds of hard working people in Rochdale will find it harder to pay the rent and look after their children if planned Government cuts go ahead, MP Simon Danczuk has argued.

A proposed reduction to the working allowance aspect of universal credit, which tops up the wages of workers in low paid jobs, is scheduled to come into effect from April.

According to official estimates, the move will leave working families on universal credit an average of £1,600 a year worse off. Single parents and disabled claimants face even greater reductions.

In Rochdale, which was a pilot area for the roll-out of universal credit, just over 1,400 people stand to lose out.

Speaking in a House of Commons debate, Mr Danczuk said: “I remain wholly committed to getting as many people out of the benefits system as possible - but to do so at such a high price for those least fortunate is not the way to do it.

“We must be clear that these cuts will affect hard-working people - these are not people who are work shy - who are the very people we should and must be supporting.

“In the longer term, up to 2.6 million working families could be worse off by 2020 to the tune of about £1,600.

“A single mother of two, working full time and on universal credit in 2016-17, will be worse off to the tune of £2,981.

“Faced with cuts to their work element of the universal credit, the lowest paid in society will suffer massively at the hands of this Government.

“I urge the Conservatives to reverse these cuts to universal credit for current and future claimants to protect these hard-working people.”