Essex Charities Highlight Struggles Amid Inadequate Support for Essentials
Charities in Essex report that many residents are struggling to meet basic needs despite working and receiving Universal Credit
Essex, Universal Credit, Food Banks, Poverty, Charities
Essex: Many folks in Essex are really feeling the pinch. Even with jobs and Universal Credit, they’re struggling to cover basic needs. A recent study shows that the standard Universal Credit just doesn’t cut it for what people need each week.
According to the Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, even those working while on Universal Credit are facing tough choices about what to skip. As of October, over 7.1 million people were on Universal Credit, and that includes more than 22,000 in Southend-on-Sea, with a good chunk of them working.
In Basildon, around 21,000 people are claiming Universal Credit, and many of them are also employed. It’s a tough situation, and the numbers show that a lot of people are in the same boat across Essex.
Trussell and JRF found that about 174,327 people in Essex are on Universal Credit. This benefit is supposed to help with various costs, but it seems to be falling short. In some areas, like Barking and Dagenham, a significant number of working-age folks are still relying on it.
In Harlow, one in 12 people are working but still need Universal Credit. That’s a stark contrast to Brentwood, where the numbers are much lower. The charities say that the lack of adequate social security is driving the need for food banks, with millions of food parcels handed out recently.
Iain Porter from JRF pointed out that many people on Universal Credit are working but still can’t afford basics like food and heating. The current rate of Universal Credit is just £91 a week, which isn’t enough, and sometimes it gets cut even more for debt repayments.
There’s a push for an Essentials Guarantee to ensure everyone gets enough support to cover their basic needs. Turn2us, a charity focused on hardship, is also backing this idea. They hear stories of people skipping meals and struggling to keep warm, even while working. It’s clear that Universal Credit needs to do better to help those in need.