Huge increase in the number of people on Universal Credit in York – as pandemic hardships continue

The number of York residents claiming universal credit remains high, as council figures lay bare the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable communities.

They show that requests for financial help from the council’s own hardship fund increased by more than 40 per cent in the past year – with most people applying because they had no food or fuel, or faced exceptional pressures. 

Data shows more residents also requested help to buy basic items including beds, cookers and fridges – as well as a huge rise in the number of supermarket vouchers awarded.

Despite the easing of lockdown restrictions, the number of people in York on Universal Credit also remains high.

In March 2019, there were 1,699 residents claiming the benefit. By March 2020 that number had reached 13,987 and was still high a year later in March 2021, at 13,187.

City of York Council members are set to review the impact of financial support schemes in York during the pandemic at a meeting on Monday.

A report says: “The council provides a broad range of welfare support to residents through the York Financial Assistance Scheme, council tax support and discretionary housing payments. The breadth of this support was increased across 2020 to help residents during the Covid 19 pandemic.”

It reveals that about half of the government Winter Support Grant awarded to the council was used to pay for free school meals for vulnerable children during school holidays.

£1.2m in rent arrears

The council used cash from its own financial support scheme to boost the government funding – after it received more applications for help than the grant could pay for.

Universal Credit claimant figures for York dating back to the start of the pandemic show that each month more women than men qualified for the benefits.

They also reveal that more people aged 25 to 29 were in receipt of Universal Credit than any other age group in the city and the majority were living in single or single parent households.

Council documents say: “To assist with the financial impact on York residents arising from the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020 emergency decisions were taken to allocate an additional £1m of support which is administered and managed through the YFAS scheme, within which the criteria was widened to include all residents finding themselves in financial hardship during the pandemic.”

The figures also reveal that the council has already spent 84 per cent of the government funding granted to help people on low incomes self-isolate.

And the council tenant rent arrears – the amount of money overdue to the council in rent payments – now stands at almost £1.2 million.