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Universal Credit ‘taper rate’ cut by 8% to give claimants an extra £1,000 a year
Mr Sunak announced an increase in benefits for 40% of Universal Credit claimants as he unveiled his 2021 Autumn Budget and Spending Review in the Commons this afternoon
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has announced today that the Universal Credit taper rate is to be cut by 8%.
Mr Sunak confirmed that the taper rate – the amount of Universal Credit that gets withdrawn for every pound that a claimant earns through work – will be slashed from 63p to 55p on the pound, in an announcement to MPs in the House of Commons this afternoon..
In what was one of the final points addressed as he unveiled the 2021 Autumn Budget and Spending Review, Mr Sunak said that he wants to live in a society that “rewards work”.
In real terms, it means that £2bn pounds a year is being put back into Universal Credit following the £6bn lost by claimants following the end of the weekly £20 uplift.
He said that the cut to the taper rate “takes a first step” towards that vision.
However, the taper rate changes will only increase the income of those Universal Credit claimants that are currently in work.
Still, with 40% of claimants also working in jobs at least part-time, the Chancellor’s announcement does mean that many will be able to keep more of their benefits.
The changes will be introduced this year, no later than 1 December 2021.
It’s a tax cut next year worth over £2bn, he says, that will “benefit nearly two million families who will keep, on average, an extra £1,000 a year”.
It is the first change made to the Universal Credit taper rate in five years.
Taking to Twitter following the Autumn Budget 2021 announcement to explain the cut to the taper rate in a series of tweets, Mr Sunak said: “We are cutting the Universal Credit Taper Rate not by 1%, not by 2% – but by 8%. From 63p to 55p.
“The Taper Rate withdraws support gradually as people work more hours. It is currently 63%, so for every extra £1 someone earns, their Universal Credit is reduced by 63p. Let’s call this what it is: a tax on work – and a high rate of tax at that – so to make sure work pays, and help some of the lowest income families keep more of their hard-earned money, I have decided that the UC Taper Rate will be cut, not by 1p or even 2p – but by 8p.
“This is a tax on working people – and I’m cutting it from 63p to 55p.”
He then added: “I’m also increasing the Work Allowances by £500, this is a tax cut next year of £2.2 billion, so nearly 2 million families will keep, on average, an extra £1,000 a year.
“We’ll introduce not in April as normal but within weeks, and no later than December 1st.”
Mr Sunak claimed during his announcement that a single mother of two could be better off by around £1,200 a year, while a couple renting a home with two children could be better off by around £1,800.
You can find more the 2021 Autumn Budget in full on the gov.uk website here.
Featured Image – Twitter
News
Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
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“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
The richest people in the North West have been revealed, featuring Harry Styles, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Gallaghers
Daisy Jackson
The Sunday Times Rich List has been published today, revealing the wealthiest person in the North West to be Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The annual list highlights the richest people in the UK, often filled with famous faces and business moguls.
This year, the 350 individuals on the list hold a combined wealth of £783.5 billion – that’s about a quarter of the UK’s total annual GDP.
The Sunday Times Rich List also highlighted other North West figures, such as Harry Styles, the Issa brothers, and Tyson Fury.
Other famous faces from elsewhere in the UK include Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, JK Rowling, Charlotte Tilbury and Sir Lewis Hamilton.
It found that Sir Jim Ratcliffe – chemicals magnate, Ineos CEO, and Manchester United shareholder – still tops the list regionally despite falling revenues and a £515.7 million loss.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa are fourth on the list of the wealthiest in the North West – the Blackburn billionaire brothers founded the EG Group petrol stations, and acquired the supermarket giant Asda.
Betfred brothers Fred and Peter Done come next, with an estimated net wealth of £3.6bn.
Property developer and Renaker founder (Renaker is behind the Deansgate Square towers) Daren Whitaker saw his wealth grow by £100m in a single year.
Elsewhere on the list are Liam and Noel Gallagher, making their Sunday Times Rich List debut at £375 million.
Michael and George Heaton, the British brothers behind the Represent streetwear brand, paid themselves minimum wage for a decade before selling a stake and making £18.5m each.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Rich List is a tale of two exoduses. One in six of the individuals and families who appeared on the list two years ago don’t feature this time.
“Many foreign billionaires who have been living in the UK have also dropped out because they have moved away. We have also seen a sharp rise in the number of British nationals now resident in Dubai, Switzerland and Monaco. As UK nationals these people remain on our Rich List — wherever they now live.
“These two exoduses pose challenges for the UK economy and its public finances. Will more of the wealthy now set up or grow their ventures overseas and in doing so create fewer jobs here? How much tax — if any — will Rachel Reeves’s Treasury be able to extract from those affluent Brits who have now left the country?
“For nearly 40 years the Sunday Times Rich List has analysed the fortunes of Britain’s most affluent people. We believe understanding where wealth lies and where it is being accumulated is a vital part of a functioning democracy.
“Over the years our research has told us a lot about our country, charting the way a generation of largely self-made entrepreneurs overtook the old money of the landed gentry.
“This year’s edition shines a light on fortunes made from artificial intelligence, driverless cars and crypto-currencies as well as baby milk, make-up, hoodies and other everyday items. We know many of our readers find those rags-to-riches stories of entrepreneurs who started out with little more than a laptop and an idea particularly inspiring.”
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Featured image: Netflix
The Manc -
27th October 2021 
