#KeepTheLifeline: BASW UK joins campaign to stop cut to Universal Credit

The UK Government is set to go ahead with its plan to cut Universal Credit by £20 per week this Autumn.

This will have a significant negative impact on the poorest and most vulnerable people, families and communities across the UK. Many people who are supported by social work services receive Universal Credit - a £20 a week cut from their allowance will make it more difficult to get on in life, or even make ends meet.

Over 100 civil society organisations – including BASW UK – have written to the Prime Minister, calling for the Government to abandon the proposed cut, which is worth over £1000 a year.

Get involved

We know that many of our members are strongly against the proposal.

It's vital that your voice is heard in this debate - you can use BASW’s template letters to lobby your local MP and key figures in Government:

• Write to your local MP and Government Ministers
• Use our sample social media posts

Cut to Universal Credit will make life harder for millions

Social workers know first-hand the devastating effect poverty can have on people and communities.

Children in the most deprived 10% of neighbourhoods in England are over ten times more likely to be in care or on a protection plan than children in the 10% most affluent neighbourhoods.

For those parents who are struggling with a range of problems, poverty makes the task of parenting much, much harder.

Cutting Universal Credit will only make families poorer and therefore make parenting more difficult. Placing children in care adds to the financial costs of local authorities who are already under severe pressure. It is better to keep families together and adequate financial support is part of this.

** Read BASW vice-chair Lewis Roberts' blog 'Why social workers should support the #KeepTheLifeline campaign' **

Write to your local MP and Ministers in Government

One way to support the campaign is to use our template letters to contact your local Member of Parliament, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Chancellor, and the Prime Minister.

Once you’ve emailed them, please do let us know that you have by emailing kerri.prince@basw.co.uk so that we can keep track of numbers.

• Template letters (for members in England, Scotland and Wales)
• Template letters (for members in Wales - Welsh)
• Template letters (for members in Northern Ireland)

Social media

Help amplify the campaign on social media - here are a few sample posts: 

• Today I wrote to MP and Government Ministers urging them to reconsider cutting Universal Credit this autumn. Cutting £20 from UC a week will force people into poverty #KeepTheLifeline @basw_uk
• I am happy to back @basw_uk’s campaign to #KeepTheLifeline and stop the cut to Universal Credit. So many people that social workers support receive Universal Credit, and this will make life harder for them.
• Please do use the hashtag #KeepTheLifeline in your posts