Single mums challenge UC working allowance disaster

Royal Courts of Justice photo

Dear friends, please attend court to show your support:

Tues 27 November 2018, from 10.30am:  go into Court 1 to support the claimants.   High Court, Strand, London WC2A 2LL

Continues Wednesday,  check court listing here

Single mums are in court to challenge the government over the Universal Credit (UC) payment system which is inflexible and doesn’t reflect reality.  The rigid UC ‘assessment period’ causes wildly fluctuating benefit and debt.  Part-time dinner lady Danielle Johnson from Keighley,  West Yorkshire,  is paid on the last working day of the month.  But her monthly UC assessment periods are rigid – running from the last day of each month, meaning that if she is paid before the last day of the month,  because payment falls on a weekend or non-banking day,  she is assessed as having been paid twice that month,  and not at all the next month (so she could be subject to the benefit cap). Claimants are unable to change their assessment period.  Ms Johnson also argues that the system is discriminatory because it disproportionately affects mainly single mothers.   Child Poverty Action Group and Leigh Day solicitors have joined together.  See Leigh Day’s press release.

The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights recently condemned UC as ‘misogynist’.

Read “Universal Credit: a hostile environment for women”, by Selma James, Solveig Francis

We are also joining the Women’s contingent for the day of action to STOP Universal Credit this Saturday 1 December 2018 called by Unite Community

The Women’s contingent will mark the UN 16 days of Ending Violence Against Women and Children as part of protests against Universal Credit — which promotes women’s and children’s financial dependence on men, including via the single payment.

Camden local 11am: Meet at Camden Town tube, London NW1 8NH

London-wide 2pm: In the shadow of Grenfell Tower, meet at Ladbroke Grove tube, London W10 6HJ

UK-wide info, including England, North of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, see here.

For more info, contact WinVisible win@winvisible.org  Tel 020 7482 2496

 

 

 

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