Corbyn must pledge to scrap Universal Credit

By Jimmy Haddow, East Lothian

The number of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Scotland is almost 222,000. This means that up to half a million men, women and children in families are under the UC regime and all the stress, poverty and debt that it causes.

The number of children in poverty has increased in East Lothian following the introduction of Universal Credit in 2016. East Lothian was the first area in Scotland to have Universal Credit implemented and there has been a year-on- year increase in in-work poverty, debt, food bank referrals and cases being presented to children’s services since the introduction of the single benefit.

Even the Labour-minority run council has commented that UC has a profound effect on families across the county. Yet it still carries out the austerity cuts passed from Tory Government through the SNP Scottish government.

It is estimated that 17% of children in East Lothian are living in poverty. 2,014 children were fed by the East Lothian Foodbank. Almost 10% of primary school children were entitled to a clothing grant and 10% of school students are entitled to free school means. Children’s services in East Lothian have seen an 8% rise in referrals from last year. They have incorporated feeding children by schemes such as holiday lunch clubs to community kitchens.

The East Lothian Labour MP is calling for Universal Credit to be scrapped, which is a step forward from when it was first introduced in East Lothian in 2016 when he suggested that should be reformed in a number of ways.

It looks like the Corbyn’s manifesto will replace Universal Credit with a social security system that focuses on lessen- ing and ending poverty. That would be a tremendous step forward.

But Corbyn must do more than that – he should demand the Labour councils in Scotland, and that includes East Lothian, from making cuts. That includes the cutbacks to advice bureaus, law centres and legal aid funding that helps claimants to get their full rights.

At this moment councils in Scotland should use their existing financial powers to protect working-class people from losing money because of UC and make sure no one is evicted or have to go without heating or go hungry because of it. More importantly, Corbyn should promise to reimburse councils and pledge to underwrite all UC losses as soon as a Labour government comes to power.