Hello John

We’ve had a positive start to the week with the news that another one of our legal cases has been successful in the High Court.

The case featured Sharon Pantellerisco, a mum who had a job working 16 hours a week for the 'national living wage'. This would normally mean Sharon wasn’t subject to the benefit cap – which restricts the total amount of support you can receive from the social security system if you earn below a certain amount, because it is supposed to incentivise work. The problem for Sharon was that to the universal credit computer system it looked like she wasn’t earning enough to escape the cap – just because she is paid four-weekly and universal credit is worked out monthly.

Sharon was penalised even though somebody doing exactly the same work, for the same number of hours at the same rate of pay, would be exempt from the benefit cap because their employer happens to pay them monthly.

The Court agreed with us that this situation was irrational and unlawful. It has left Sharon up to £5,000 a year worse off, and she has had to use food banks and to ask her children's school for help with school uniform costs because the benefit cap left her struggling to make ends meet.

We pay tribute to Sharon for pursuing this case in order to achieve justice not just for her own children but for many more whose parents lose out on universal credit because they happen to be paid on a non-monthly basis.

We are now waiting to see how the Department for Work and Pensions will fix this situation. And we will continue to campaign against the benefit cap on principle as it breaks the link between a family’s needs and the support they can receive.

We hope this news has been heartening to hear at an otherwise difficult time. If you are able to make a donation to help us challenge injustices against families in poverty you can do so here.

Best wishes,

Lizzie

Lizzie Flew
Child Poverty Action Group

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