TWO Bradford areas are among the top five in the country set to be worst hit if the Government ploughs ahead with it’s planned end to the Universal Credit uplift, a new report has shown.

The research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation revealed the poorest families in Bradford East and West will be the hardest hit when the extra £20 a week is wiped from their benefits in October.

There are fears that this sudden cut, the biggest overnight cut to benefits in more than 70 years, will plunge already struggling families into deeper poverty in a nation already devastated by austerity, in-work poverty and an ever-growing reliance on food banks.

Bradford MPs Imran Hussain and Naz Shah have both called on the Government to make the uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit - brought in due to the Covid-19 pandemic and worth £1,040 a year - permanent, providing much needed support to the poorest families in society.

In Bradford West, 82 per cent of working-age families with children will be impacted by the planned cut, the highest figure in the UK, and for all working-age families the figure is 52 per cent, the second highest.

For Bradford East, 71 per cent of families with children will be left out of pocket, and 46 per cent of all families.

Bradford West MP Naz Shah said: “The same party that refused to pay for free school meals to feed hungry children is now refusing to keep the universal credit uplift, which as research shows will put 500,000 people into poverty and impact those already struggling in my constituency.

“Bradford West has struggled from being subject to some of the longest and most stringent lockdown measures throughout the pandemic, which has resulted in high levels of unemployment and disruption to businesses.

“Now is the time for the government to provide additional funding to support areas like Bradford West, not cut the universal credit uplift and send families further into poverty.

“This government needs to reflect on its conscious.”

Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East, added: “Across Bradford East, almost 12,000 working age families with children will be impacted by the Government’s callous decision to cut Universal Credit by over £1,000 a year at the end of September.

“For these families where this extra £20 a week makes a real difference to putting food on the table, paying bills and making rent, this decision will be nothing less than devastating.

“With around one in three of the families supported by Universal Credit in Bradford East also in employment, we also have look at tackling the endemic problem of in-work poverty caused by low-pay, poor hours, and insecure work, particularly given the recent report from the Office for National Statistics which showed the average worker has suffered a pay cut of £1,000 in real terms under this Conservative Government.

“Instead of delivering one of the deepest cuts to an already vastly reduced welfare safety net, the Chancellor and Prime Minister must rethink this cruel cut to Universal Credit and keep the extra £20 a week for low-income families, but also extend the uplift to those on ‘legacy benefits’ such as JSA who have so far being excluded, despite facing the same pressures during the pandemic.”

Katie Schmuecker, Deputy Director of Policy & Partnerships at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “We are just over a month away from the UK Government imposing the biggest overnight cut to the basic rate of social security since the Second World War.

“This latest analysis lays bare the deep and far-reaching impact that cutting Universal Credit will have on millions of low-income families across Britain.

“MPs from across the political spectrum are already expressing their deep concerns about this planned cut. Now is the time for all MPs to step up and oppose this cut to their constituents’ living standards.

“Plunging low-income families into deeper poverty and debt as well as sucking billions of pounds out of local economies is no way to level up.

“It’s not too late for the Prime Minister and Chancellor to listen to the huge opposition to this damaging cut and change course.”

A Government spokesperson said: “The temporary uplift to Universal Credit was designed to help claimants through the economic shock and financial disruption of the toughest stages of the pandemic, and it has done so.

“Universal Credit will continue to provide a vital safety net and with record vacancies available, alongside the successful vaccination rollout, it’s right that we now focus on our Plan for Jobs, helping claimants to increase their earnings by boosting their skills and getting into work, progressing in work or increasing their hours.”