MORE than 100,000 Universal Credit claimants will have to step up their search for work or face having their benefits cut, Jeremy Hunt said today.
The Chancellor announced plans to raise the minimum amount claimants must work before having to engage with government jobs coaches.
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He is raising this “Administrative Earnings Threshold” from 15 to 18 hours per week.
It means anyone currently working fewer than 18 hours will have fresh requirements to meet with DWP officials to find more work.
And if they do not they risk having their benefits cut.
The Chancellor’s “back to work” Budget also encourages more than 700,000 parents on Universal Credit to get a job or raise their hours with new measures.
Mr Hunt told MPs: “Sanctions will be applied more rigorously to those who fail to meet strict work-search requirements or choose not to take up a reasonable job offer.
“And for those working low hours, we will increase the Administrative Earnings Threshold from the equivalent of 15 hours to 18 hours at National Living Wage for an individual claimant, meaning that anyone working below this level will receive more work coach support alongside a more intensive conditionality regime.”
What new measures have been announced in today’s Budget? Everything you need to know:
- Britain is set to avoid recession this year AND inflation will tumble to just 2.9 per cent
- Local councils will receive £200m to fix potholes in a major win for motorists;
- Massive £5bn boost to defence spending confirmed;
- Fuel duty frozen for the13th year in a row AND the 5p cut has been kept in huge win for the Sun’s Sun’s Keep it Down campaign;
- Alcohol duty rates is set to rise in line with inflation, hitting punters in the pocket;
- But the Chancellor will cut the duty charged on draught pints in pubs across the UK by 11p in August;
- Energy companies will not be allowed to charge people with prepayment meters extra fees from July 1, bringing them in line with Direct Debit users;
- Households on benefits and receiving state pension will get a payment boost next month with the uprating of benefits set to go ahead in April;
- Millions of households will save £160 on energy bills after the Energy Price Guarantee that freezes the average bill at £2,500 will be extended to July;
- Government will start paying childcare costs up front for those on Universal Credit;
- The minimum amount claimants must work before having to engage with government jobs coaches is set to rise from 15 to 18 hours per week.
In return Mr Hunt is introducing sweeping childcare changes to enable more mums and dads go to work.
Childcare payments will be paid up front rather than in arrears in a big win for the Sun’s Make Universal Credit Work campaign.
And the childcare allowance for claimants will be hiked from £646 a month for a single child to £950, and from £1,108 for two children to £1,630.
The hike comes alongside a huge £4billion childcare giveaway that will hand parents 30 free hours a week for one and two-year-olds.
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It expands the existing 30 hours scheme for working parents of three and four-year olds.
Mr Hunt is trying to tackle the nine million economically inactive Brits dragging on the economy while the country grapples with record job vacancies.
As well as young parents, he also wants to stop over-50s retiring early, and to get the ones who have quit work “off the golf course” and back into jobs.
Skills bootcamps will be expanded for older workers to retrain in key sectors like construction and tech.
Disabled Brits will also be lured into work with a plan with a promise they will not lose their benefits.
The burdensome Work Capability Assessment will be scrapped so they do not have to jump through hoops to get health benefits.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
