Poverty Alliance campaigns to end the benefit cap

The vast majority of households affected by the benefit cap are exempt from working, either because of disability or childcare responsibilities. This means they are trapped in poverty’s grip, without access to the vital lifelines they need to stay afloat. Too many people are already choosing between turning on the heating and putting food on the table. This is an injustice.  #MeetTheNeed #ScrapTheCap

 The benefit cap profoundly impacts those affected. For many families it means insecurity and anxiety, poor mental health, an inability to afford essentials like food and heating, reliance on foodbanks, and has forced many into problem debt.  (Poverty Alliance)

We all want to live in a society where everyone has enough to live a decent and fulfilling life. But people impacted by the benefit cap are currently held back from this.

The Scrap the Cap campaign will call on the UK Government to remove the benefit cap, which places a limit on the total amount of benefit payments a person or family can receive. We believe that it is wrong, in principle, to sever the link between the support a person needs and the level of support they receive.

If the campaign is successful and the cap was lifted, it would mean the British social security system would no longer arbitrarily cut the amount of benefit payments that households – which are among the most disadvantaged in the country – are entitled to, in order to fulfil policy goals that are divorced from the needs and welfare of those directly impacted by the policy.

Read more and see how to get involved with Poverty Alliance’s campaign by clicking here.