Campaigns: Guarantee our Essentials
Siobhán is part of a campaign from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust calling for an Essentials Guarantee within Universal Credit. The Essentials Guarantee would embed in the social security system a principle that at a minimum Universal Credit should protect people from going without essentials.
The Campaign is planning a number of actions now that there has been a change of Government in Westminster to lobby for increases in the levels of Universal Credit and Siobhán will continue to attend and contribute to this group where possible.
You can read more about the campaign here:
https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/guarantee-our-essentials
Campaigns: Coalition of Carers
Siobhán continues to attend regular meetings of the Coalition of Carers which is chaired by Carers NI. The Coalition is made up of a number of organisations all working to highlight the key issues that carers are facing across Northern Ireland.
Campaigns: Cost of Living 24
Siobhán is part of a coalition of organisations led by Inspire Wellbeing NI who have come together to host a one-stop shop service for the many impacts of the Cost-of-Living Crisis. The Cost of Living 24 campaign aims to make navigating community and voluntary services easy, local and accessible, thanks to a dedicated webpage and freephone number. The partnership provides information and advice on a range of subjects: benefits and entitlements, fuel and child poverty, affordable childcare and housing. It also signposts to foodbanks in towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland.
Cost of Living 24 offers support and information via:
Webpage: www.communitywellbeing.info/cost-of-living-24 (Or search ‘Community Wellbeing Cost of Living 24’)
Freephone: 0808 189 0036
Webchat: www.communitywellbeing.info
An article was featured in Belfast Live on this new campaign featuring Atlas Women’s Centre and the important work they do helping women and communities in the Cost of Living Crisis. You can read the article here:
Campaigns: Cliff Edge
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 was pleased to hear that the Minister for Communities announced plans to bring forward legislation to extend the existing protections against the Benefit Cap beyond 31st March 2025.
The Cliff Edge Coalition welcomes this positive intervention, which will provide critical protection to those who are most in need in our society, in the face of rising poverty rates. 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.
You can read the Cliff Edge Coalition briefing paper here which explains what the Benefit Cap is, who is affected, and why mitigations are necessary.
The Coalition looks forward to reading the detail of the legislative proposals on the Benefit Cap as work continues on the key asks to protect people in need which are:
- Resolving the five-week wait in Universal Credit
- Removing the two-child limit
- Providing support for private renters affected by the Local Housing Allowance.
