The Consortium is represented on the Cliff Edge Coalition by the Women’s Support Network. Siobhán continues to attend meetings of the Cliff Edge Coalition Working Group which is working to strengthen the existing mitigations package for Northern Ireland.
The Coalition is becoming increasingly concerned about the looming cliff edge for the Benefit Cap mitigation – in just under six months the Benefit Cap mitigation is set to end. If this mitigation is not extended thousands of people may lose access to this vital support.
The Benefit Cap is a policy that limits the total amount of social security support that working-age people can receive. It is currently mitigated in Northern Ireland, which means that those who would be affected by it are currently receiving a payment in their benefits equal to what they would have lost under the policy (a ‘Welfare Supplementary Payment’). However, this mitigation is set to expire at the end of March 2025.
Like the Two-Child Limit, the Benefit Cap is a highly gendered policy; 86% of payments to mitigate the Benefit Cap are made to women. If the Benefit Cap mitigation is lost, households who currently rely on these payments will be forced to look to other – often discretionary and inadequate – sources of support. Cliff Edge fears that many will fall into debt as a result.
As part of the working group Siobhán has been working on a video to highlight the urgent need to keep the Benefit Cap mitigation. This will shortly be available on social media and we encourage you to share this video as widely as possible to draw attention to this important issue and to try and help ensure that this important mitigation is kept.
Cliff Edge have written to all MLAs to inform them about the upcoming cliff edge and to encourage them to advocate in the Assembly for keeping the Benefit Cap mitigation and further to strengthen the existing mitigations package.
You can read the Cliff Edge Briefing here:
https://www.lawcentreni.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Cliff-Edge-Member-Briefing-March-2024-1.pdf
