PEOPLE across Flintshire and Wrexham have been sharing their fears about the impact of the planned reduction in Universal Credit.

The £20 a week uplift was introduced as a temporary measure to support people through the pandemic but the Government is now planning to remove it as of October.

Charities such as the Trussell Trust, who operate foodbanks across the country, have called on the Government to retain this uplift, saying that if it was removed then some people would be forced to skip meals.

The Leader asked readers to share their thoughts on how this might affect them and we were inundated with comments.

One anonymous Universal Credit claimant from Ponciau, who is living with depression and severe anxiety, said that the drop in Universal Credit would seriously impact on him, forcing him to choose between paying his council tax and paying his gas or electricity bill.

He said he had recently had to change his working hours due to ill health and was consequently earning even less money.

I'd like to see the Government try to live like us for a week or even a month.

Worse off

He said: "I'm feeling very emotional about this. People like myself are going to be worse off. It really is gut-wrenching. I can only work part-time. I have got a disability. Losing this extra £20 means I am going to struggle. That paid my council tax.

"We're told to get a few extra hours' work but if we can't then how are we supposed to live on this amount? I'm deciding at the moment whether to pay council tax or my gas or electricity bill.

"I want the Government to listen and to try to realise how we have to suffer, thinking 'am I going to put the heating on?' when it is freezing. I'd like to see the Government try to live like us for a week or even a month."

The anonymous supermarket worker added that he could not afford to do a big food shop and relied on his neighbours to help him with food.

There were many more comments on the subject, with readers debating about different aspects of the removal of the Universal Credit uplift.

Another Leader reader, Sean Griffiths said: "It was only a temporary extra payment, so if you’re dependent on it now, more fool you, as really you should have budgeted based on your previous income and not made commitments based on the temporary uplift, as it was clearly a temporary measure."

Tessa Burgess responded, saying: "It was clearly a temporary measure to help due to increased costs around Covid. Those costs have not reduced.

"In fact if you look at the average supermarket prices, and especially utility prices right now, a basic, minimal lifestyle is significantly more expensive than it was when the uplift was put in place.

"Eighty pounds is more than a basic weekly family shop for me. In fact, if we are only talking food I could stretch it to two weeks from time to time."

Jill Antrobus said: "I still work but my partner worked seven days a week up until two years ago when he had a stroke and now can't work and has to claim Universal Credit. He would love to get back to work but can't. I work part time but it has taken nearly two years to get what he is entitled to and that isn't much."

Times are hard

Christina Holmes said: "What about those who didn't know about the increase? I started claiming September last year and they hadn't informed me that I was receiving an extra £80 a month so I've always assumed that's how much I am entitled to so how should I have known that I wasn't entitled to that amount if they hadn't told me in the beginning?"

Julie Maddran said: "I'm ok but I feel for those that it will effect. Times are hard and the cost of living continues to rise."

Jessica Williams said: "Yes it's ridiculous, £80 is a month's food shopping! I can't imagine how many families with children are gonna suffer."

Donna Makin said: "It’s going to hit me. Right at the same time the eldest leaves education too with only a part time job - talk about bad timing.

"Still there’s always people worse off. You just have to make more cut backs and try to juggle things the best you can."

Some politicians in north east Wales have also spoken out against the removal of the uplift.

Jack Sargeant, the Senedd Member for Alyn and Deeside, has called on the UK Government to cancel plans to remove it.

He said he had joined colleagues from the Unite Wales union on the steps of the Senedd to ask for the £20 uplift to be retained to help support working families.

Skipping meals

Jack Sargeant said that six million people across the UK were facing a financial cliff edge as the cut would leave them £1000 a year worse off, with the Trussell Trust reporting that one in four Universal Credit claimants had expressed they would ‘very likely’ need to skip meals as a direct result.

He added that he was particularly concerned that the UK Government were hitting families with this cut at the same time as announcing they would have to pay more National Insurance.

Jack Sargeant said: “Many of the families reliant on Universal Credit are in low paid but essential jobs in sectors from the NHS to food production and have worked hard throughout the pandemic to keep our country running.

“They are about to be hit by a double whammy of Universal Credit cuts and a National Insurance hike. The Chancellor should be focused on tackling poverty in all its forms, not cutting what is left of the safety net so many people rely on.

“The UK Tory Government must do the right thing and stand by hard working families across the UK by cancelling the Universal Credit cut.”

The plans have also been criticised by North Wales Senedd Member Carolyn Thomas, who described the planned removal of the uplift as a "kick in the teeth" for thousands of people across the region.

She said: "Heading into winter, working-class people across the country are being hit in the pocket left, right and centre by the UK government. Increases to National Insurance contributions and cuts to Universal Credit are combined with huge hikes in energy prices and an increase in fuel costs.

"These decisions will force huge numbers of families into poverty this winter. The cut must be reversed; it is economically illiterate as well as being morally bankrupt."

Carolyn Thomas said that the Bevan Foundation had estimated that the Universal Credit cut would remove approximately £286 million from the Welsh economy, whilst the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the proposal would be the biggest cut in the basic rate of social security since the creation of the modern welfare state.

Are you affected by the planned removal of the uplift to Universal Credit? Please get in touch by calling 01352 707707 or via news@leaderlive.co.uk to let us know how this will impact on you.