MORE than 180 people receiving Universal Credit in Barnsley had their income ‘cut off’ by the government’s benefit cap in just one month this year - and the majority were single parents.
The government’s benefit cap was last raised in April 2023 despite most benefits rising by 6.7 per cent this April.
It currently stands at £22,020 for families with children across Britain, or £25,323 for those in London.
The cap puts a limit on the amount of benefit income households can receive if they are jobless or earning low amounts.
It was intended as a stick to force claimants to get work, to work more or to move to cheaper housing.
Department for Work and Pensions figures show 187 households receiving Universal Credit in Barnsley had their income cut off by the policy in May.
This was a 43 per cent increase since February, when 131 households had their income restricted.
Matt Downie, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis, called the increase ‘staggering’.
“Behind these figures are struggling parents who will be spending anxious nights worrying about how they will put food on the table or keep a roof over their children’s heads,” he said.
“While the amount low-income households receive to help pay their rent rose earlier this year, we know for thousands this vital support will have been completely wiped out by the impact of the cap.
“We cannot build a stable nation if we’re giving with one hand and taking with another.”
The figures also show 81 per cent of families capped in Barnsley were headed by one parent, more than in February.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, called the cap ‘cruel and nonsensical’, saying families often living in cramped temporary accommodation are trapped in homelessness and poverty.
Families are often crammed into a single room, sharing beds, while children have no space to play or do their homework, and the cap makes it impossible for them to move on to any affordable home.
She said: “With a record number of children growing up homeless in temporary accommodation, if the government is serious about tackling child poverty, it must take immediate action.
“The benefit cap must be scrapped so families can move on from damaging temporary accommodation into a settled home.”
Charity Women’s Aid have also called for the cap to be scrapped, stating it disproportionately affects children and survivors of domestic abuse, and is directly contributing to making families homeless.
