PEOPLE on Universal Credit in Helensburgh and Lomond will be worse off than eight years ago if cutbacks go ahead, according to Citizens Advice Scotland.

The charity says it has carried out analysis which shows that Universal Credit will fall below its 2013 value if the UK Government’s plans to end the weekly £20 coronavirus uplift are not reversed.

The £80 a month boost was introduced last spring in recognition that people needed extra help during the pandemic but it is set to be removed again from April.

READ MORE: Universal Credit claims in Helensburgh double in less than a year

The move would see Universal Credit worth less this year in real terms than it was when introduced in 2013, because the benefit has not kept pace with inflation, ultimately being worth 11.5 per cent less in 2021.

Last month the Advertiser reported that the number of Universal Credit claimants at the DWP’s Jobcentre in Helensburgh had nearly doubled during the pandemic – from 677 in March of last year to 1,327 by November,

CAS spokesperson Nina Ballantyne said: “The £20 uplift has been an essential boost to struggling families. The reasons it was introduced still exist, so there is no logical case for removing it.”

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