Wales and Scotland urge UK Government to scrap benefit cap and cut energy bills

Nation.Cymru staff

The Welsh and Scottish governments have urged UK ministers to scrap welfare policies they say are pushing families into poverty and introduce help with energy bills.

Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams and Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville have written jointly to UK ministers, arguing that welfare restrictions are undermining efforts to tackle child poverty.

Ms Williams also wants assurances that families receiving Wales’s planned Cynnal child payment will not lose other benefits as a result.

The letter, sent to Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden and Education Secretary Lucy Powell, calls for an end to the freeze on Local Housing Allowance. The two governments say the growing gap between housing support and rents is contributing to homelessness and poverty.

They are also pressing Westminster to adopt Scottish Government proposals for an energy social tariff, which would offer targeted discounts to households.

Published modelling cited by the governments estimates that 660,000 households in Scotland could save an average of £700 on fuel bills under the proposals. The announcement does not include an equivalent estimate for Wales.

Ms Williams said the Welsh Government was expanding funded childcare and developing a new child poverty strategy with targets, but needed co-operation from Westminster to make full use of its powers.

On Cynnal, she said: “This can only succeed with the co-operation of the UK Government to ensure that those receiving the payment are not penalised by having their entitlement to other benefits reduced, allowing children and families to receive the maximum possible support.

“I call on the UK Government now to work with us and give us the assurance that we can make a real difference with this scheme.”

The joint approach follows the Cardiff Agreement, signed last month, which committed the two governments to working together on child poverty and the cost of living.

Devolution 

Both administrations are seeking further devolution of powers, pointing to Scotland’s existing child payment as an example of what devolved governments can do.

Ms Somerville said Department for Work and Pensions figures showed that the number of Scottish children affected by the benefit cap had doubled to nearly 20,000 between March and May this year.

She said: “The UK Government must now take action in their Budget to cut bills and boost living standards. And if they will not, they should hand the powers over to a Scottish Government that would.”

Ms Williams said an energy social tariff should be introduced urgently.

“In many areas such as this it is the UK Government who can make the difference and the budget is the opportunity to do this for families in Wales and across the UK.”

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