Two thirds of people in Yorkshire support scrapping Universal Credit – Yorkshire Live

Almost two thirds of people in Yorkshire believe the Universal Credit system is not fit for purpose and should be scrapped, according to a survey by YorkshireLive.

Out of more than 2,500 people who responded to the survey, 63% said they believe the system should be scrapped while only 24% believe it should remain in place.

The remaining 12% were unsure.

Click here for more benefits news from Yorkshire Live.

The survey had 2,686 responses across Yorkshire.

Universal Credit was first legislated for in 2012 and was designed to replace and simplify a number of benefits like Employment and Support Allowance and Child Tax Credit.

The new system has proved controversial with many claiming it was impossible to live off the benefit.

Late last year, the governments 20 uplift on Universal Credit payments ended leading many people to protest to their MPs.

Other changes to the system which came early this year including an increase in line with the consumer price index of 3.1%.

The time allowed for jobseekers to search for employment in their preferred sector while on Universal Credit has also been cut from three months to four weeks.

In January of this year, the Commission on Social Security called for a massive rework of the entire benefits system.

There are many ways of keeping up-to-date with everything happening across Yorkshire as our journalists work day and night to bring you the very latest news.

We have our YorkshireLive app which is completely customisable and means you will only get the news which matters to you.

And we also send out daily newsletters which bring the best news and features direct to your inbox.

You can sign up very simply by popping your email address in the box at the top of this article, just under the picture, or clicking here.

They called for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) to be paid to all adults in the UK of 163.50 a week.

UBI would be unconditional amount of money that every adult would receive no matter what they earn., creating a'minimum income floor' which supporters believe will reduce poverty.

It is an idea which has been gaining in popularity around the world with a trial of 2,000 people in Finland showing people who received UBI went on to get jobs anyway and reported better mental wellbeing, less stress, a greater ability to concentrate and they were more likely to successfully manage their financial situation.

Both the Scottish and the Welsh governments have publicly supported the idea, with the Welsh government set to trial UBI and the Scottish government planning to introduce a form of UBI they call a 'minimum income guarantee'.

Calls for a basic income increased during the pandemic with more than 170 MPs and Lords calling for it in 2020, although the government did not introduce the system as they said it could provide a disincentive for people to work as well as being expensive.

The majority of people in Yorkshire also support this with 60% of replies to our survey in favour of UBI, compared to just under a third against and eight percent unsure.

As oil prices hit record highs alongside gas prices, the cost of living has been rising to record levels in recent days, especially the cost of energy.

Inflation is also the highest it has been since 1992, leading to massive increases in the cost of food and other essentials.

To get the latest email updates from Yorkshire Live, click here .

Original post:

Two thirds of people in Yorkshire support scrapping Universal Credit - Yorkshire Live