Fight for £20 more for claimants on legacy benefits
The government is set to extend the £20 uplift to Universal Credit for another six months but we know how callous and cruel it is not to apply it to legacy benefits.
Please do whatever you can to join our day of action on 1st March.
Ideas for what you can do:
- Take and share selfies on the day using the hashtags #20More4All
- Put up and share posters and stickers. You can:
– make one,
– download a copy here: https://dpac.uk.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20More4All.pdf
– or email mail@dpac.uk.net and ask us to post you one or some.
- We are asking all our supporters to email your MP telling them why it is important to you that the uplift is extended to legacy benefits. You can find a template letter here: https://dpac.uk.net/2021/02/email-your-mp-to-call-for-20-uplift-to-stay-be-applied-to-legacy-benefits/ Please also email a copy to us at: 20More4All@gmail.com that we can send on the both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. We want to deliver as many letters and expressions of concern on this issue as possible to before the Spring Budget on 3 March.
- We are also looking for disabled people on legacy benefits who haven’t had the £20 uplift and are struggling to manage financially to speak to the media. If you could help us please send an outline of your situation and contact details to mail@dpac.uk.net
- You can also have your say anonymously – about your experiences and what the uplift means to you but filling in this extremely quick and straightforward survey: https://forms.gle/Y5uB5Mp95oJfzgAg6 [Thanks to Sheffield DPAC and @imaJSAclaimant for producing this].
- Make your own banners for local banner drops that can be done without breaking social distancing guidelines.
- For those that can, go out and hold socially distanced protests.
- Sign and share these petitions:
Why it’s important to take action
The government increased Universal Credit by £20 per week at the start of the pandemic, when nearly two million more claimants came onto the benefit, exposing the social security system to greater scrutiny.
Many claimants never got the £20 uplift in the first place. It was only applied to Universal Credit so those still on legacy benefits and not yet moved over to Universal Credit were missed out. Many of these are disabled and their living costs have been significantly higher as a result of the pandemic and needing to shield.
Out of work benefits in the UK are well below the amount needed for a decent standard of living. All benefits need to be significantly increased, not cut.
We need people to be properly supported in these difficult times. The benefits system needs a complete overhaul. The Universal Credit system doesn’t work – it has been proven be toxic and massively harmful.
As well as fighting for a permanent uplift – we must fight for it to be scrapped and replaced with a social security system that provides a genuine safety net for all that need it.
The free school meals saga shows that when people fight back the Tories can be pushed into U-turns.
We understand that many people are still unable to leave their homes and we are NOT asking anyone to put their lives at risk or to break social distancing guidelines.
We are asking people to do just whatever you can to build support for this issue and to let claimants know there is a fightback they can get involved with.
If you are a member of a union branch or a local campaign please ask them to support the day of action on 1sr March.
