Councillor raises at national conference issue of nearly 90,000 local families about to be hit by cut in Universal Credit

The leader of the opposition on Leicestershire County Council has raised at a national party conference the issue of tens of thousands of local families in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland being about to be hit by a big cut in their income.

Councillor Michael Mullaney leader of the Opposition on Leicestershire County Council spoke at the national Lib Dem Conference and raised the plight of thousands of local families who will be hit by a £20 a week cut in Universal Credit at the beginning of October.

Speaking at the conference Michael Mullaney said "According to the Joseph Rowntree Trust nearly 90,000 families in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland will be hit by a £20 a week cut in Universal Credit. When you add to that the fact that many of the same struggling families will be hit by National Insurance rises, and the furlough scheme ending it's a time of real hardship for many families both here in Leicestershire and nationally.

"I hope the government will reconsider and make the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift permanent. This change would be the single biggest cut in social security benefits since World War 2. If they don't drop these plans it will have a devastating impact on many struggling families here in Leicestershire."