Universal Credit deductions costing 4,300 low income Crawley families £65 per month

Figures from Parliamentary Questions reveal that of the 10,200 families in Crawley with a valid Universal Credit claim, 42% are facing deductions averaging £65 each month. Residents in Crawley face the ninth highest deduction of any constituency within the region.

Crawley has amongst the highest levels of in-work poverty in the country, with a stagnating economy and rapidly increasing essential living expenses meaning that over a third of the town’s children are now growing up in poverty.

Yet, rather than providing a safety net for those who need support, between the five-week waiting period and deductions, Universal Credit is being run in a way which leaves people who have paid their National Insurance for decades unable to afford basic essentials. While local charities try to provide support to those who need it, by crashing the economy and leaving the social security safety net riddled with holes, the Conservatives have created far greater desperation than could ever be met through charitable giving.

It’s time we had a Government which didn’t play games with families’ lives and instead delivered the economic growth we need to ensure people can get back on their own two feet.