News – Friday 15 January 2021
Grand Union is part of a group of housing associations from across the country calling on the Government to continue with the £20 a week top-up to Universal Credit.
In a letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the G15 – a group made up of some of the leading organisations in the housing sector – is urging the Government to maintain the £20 per week Universal Credit uplift, which is due to end on 31 March 2021.
The call is backed by regional groups Homes for the South West and BuildEast, as well as PlaceShapers, who between them provide millions of homes in the UK.
Aileen Evans, Grand Union’s Chief Executive said: “At Grand Union, we alone have 1,000 more customers on Universal Credit than at the start of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The additional money has made a significant difference to so many people who have found themselves in really difficult situations this past year.
“As the letter to the government states, extending the Universal Credit uplift will give people across the country greater security, support local economies, and ensure people are in a stronger position to contribute to the post‐pandemic recovery to come.”
Grand Union is a member of BuildEast, a group of 15 housing associations from the East of England using partnership working, to champion the housing sector, its communities and its members, and also PlaceShapers, a national alliance of more than 100 community-focused housing associations.