The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has ‘disagreed’ with a petition calling on the UK Government to increase benefits in line with current levels of inflation to help “stop the cost of living crisis becoming a poverty emergency”.
The petition was created by songwriter and activist, Simon Baum, on the petitions-parliament website at the end of March - when inflation was at 6.2%.
Since then, inflation has soared to 9% forcing Chancellor Rishi Sunak to announce an additional £15 billion package of emergency financial support to help millions of elderly, low income, disabled and vulnerable people manage rising energy bills which are set to impact households across the country from October 1.
The petition has now gathered more than 12,188 signatures of support and triggered a response from the DWP after passing the 10,000 threshold.
In a lengthy response, the DWP explained how the annual benefits uprating review is based on inflation rates from the previous September, in this case, 3.1%.
The DWP said: “The Government disagrees with this petition.
“The Secretary of State’s decisions regarding benefits and pensions for 2022/23 were announced to Parliament on 25 November 2021 and the increase of 3.1% from April 2022 was debated and approved by both Houses of Parliament earlier this year. In 2022/23, welfare expenditure in Great Britain is forecast to be around £243bn.”
It added that the Secretary of State’s annual review of benefits and pensions for the tax year 2023/24 will start in the autumn.
The DWP continued: “The [UK] Government is aware that millions of households across the UK are struggling to make their incomes stretch to cover the rising cost of living.
“That is why the Government is providing over £15bn in further support, particularly targeted at those with the greatest need. This package is in addition to the over £22bn announced previously, with Government support for the cost of living now totalling over £37bn this year.”
The response concluded: “ This means that almost all the 8 million most vulnerable households will get £1,200 this year, in one-off support to help with the cost of living, with all domestic electricity customers receiving at least £400.”
You can read the full response to the petition, here.
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