Motion: Universal Credit Uplift

“This Council recognises that the £20 Universal Credit uplift has provided a lifeline to many families and recognises the devastating impact that its removal will have at this critical juncture of the recovery period with workers dealing with the end of the furlough scheme and massive increases in energy bills.

The Council also recognises that the removal of the £20 per week will be devastating for those living here, will push more people into poverty, increase reliance of food banks and increase homelessness, as well as having dire consequences for our local economy.

The Council calls on the Communities Minister, in the absence of any further action from the Westminister government, to liaise with her colleague Finance Minister Conor Murphy, to uphold this uplift for the remainder of the financial year and commit to expediting a long term strategy to tackle the shameful levels of poverty and social deprivation across Fermanagh and Omagh”.