New figures show 200,000 Black Country families will be hit by cuts to the new benefit replacing tax credits.
Dudley North MP Ian Austin has accused the Government of trying to con working families, saying that despite promises from David Cameron thousands of local people will still lose out.
Despite changing its plans for tax credits, the Government is pressing ahead with cuts to the Universal Credits that will replace them. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has estimated that the changes will make 2.6 million working families £1,600 a year worse off by 2020.
Official House of Commons statistics have shown that 201,000 people would be affected across the region by 2020. Areas like Dudley and Walsall that have been the first to pilot Universal Credits are set to be hit hardest.
Universal Credits are available to families with children and working people on the lowest wages to help them meet the cost of living.
Ian Austin said:
“Despite promises from David Cameron, these figures prove that thousands of working families across the Black Country will still get hammered by cuts to tax credits.
“The Government has already admitted that they would need to work an extra 200 hours to make up for the amount they will lose.
“These are exactly the sort of people that need support the most. I want to see a new approach to welfare underpinned by principles of hard work and contribution, and that means more help not less for working families.”
CONSTITUENCY UNIVERSAL CREDIT STATISTICS
|
Constituency |
2015 |
2017-18 |
2018-19 |
2019-20 |
2020-21 |
|
Dudley North |
422 |
2,000 |
5,000 |
8,000 |
10,000 |
|
Dudley South |
396 |
2,000 |
5,000 |
7,000 |
8,000 |
|
Halesowen & RR |
218 |
2,000 |
5,000 |
8,000 |
9,000 |
|
Stourbridge |
396 |
2,000 |
5,000 |
7,000 |
8,000 |
|
Dudley |
1,432 |
8,000 |
20,000 |
30,000 |
35,000 |
|
Aldridge-Brownhills |
195 |
2,000 |
4,000 |
6,000 |
7,000 |
|
Walsall North |
282 |
3,000 |
8,000 |
11,000 |
14,000 |
|
Walsall South |
249 |
3,000 |
8,000 |
11,000 |
14,000 |
|
Walsall |
726 |
8,000 |
20,000 |
28,000 |
35,000 |
|
Warley |
.. |
3,000 |
8,000 |
11,000 |
14,000 |
|
West Bromwich East |
.. |
3,000 |
7,000 |
10,000 |
12,000 |
|
West Bromwich West |
.. |
3,000 |
8,000 |
11,000 |
14,000 |
|
Sandwell |
0 |
9,000 |
23,000 |
32,000 |
40,000 |
|
Wolverhampton NE |
8 |
3,000 |
7,000 |
11,000 |
13,000 |
|
Wolverhampton SE |
7 |
3,000 |
7,000 |
11,000 |
13,000 |
|
Wolverhampton SW |
.. |
2,000 |
5,000 |
7,000 |
9,000 |
|
Wolverhampton |
15 |
8,000 |
19,000 |
29,000 |
35,000 |
|
Cannock Chase |
.. |
2,000 |
6,000 |
8,000 |
10,000 |
|
Lichfield |
214 |
1,000 |
3,000 |
5,000 |
6,000 |
|
Solihull |
241 |
2,000 |
4,000 |
5,000 |
6,000 |
|
South Staffordshire |
.. |
2,000 |
4,000 |
5,000 |
6,000 |
|
Stafford |
10 |
2,000 |
4,000 |
6,000 |
7,000 |
|
Staffs Moorlands |
27 |
1,000 |
3,000 |
5,000 |
6,000 |
|
Sutton Coldfield |
158 |
1,000 |
3,000 |
5,000 |
6,000 |
|
Wyre Forest |
40 |
2,000 |
5,000 |
8,000 |
9,000 |
|
Black Country & Staffs |
2,863 |
46,000 |
114,000 |
166,000 |
201,000 |
Source: House of Commons Library