The call responds to a report written by poverty expert and Loughborough University Professor Donald Hirsch which reveals the gap between the support the government is currently offering to households and the anticipated rise in living costs. The report concludes that the current flat-rate payments offered by the government will fall at least £1,600 short of making up for recent changes to living costs and benefits faced by a couple with two children. The report assesses the extent to which cost of living measures announced in May will compensate for three blows experienced by millions of low-income families: cuts in Universal Credit, inadequate uprating of benefits with accelerating inflation in April and the further rise in the energy cap anticipated in October.
Read the report:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CfrHnpSaT0Niyavldix0sRirbcd76leC/view?usp=sharing
The full list of signatories to the report is:
Rabbi Charley Baginsky, CEO, Liberal Judaism
Revd Fiona Bennett, Moderator of the General Assembly, United Reformed Church
Lord John Bird, Founder, The Big Issue
Anthony Boateng, Vice-President, The Methodist Church in Britain
Paul Bodenham, Programme Leader for Social Action, Caritas Diocese of Nottingham
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
Nicola Brady, General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
Rt Revd Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham, Chair of ChurchWorks Commission on Covid Recovery
Heidi Chow, Executive Director, Debt Justice
John Coleby, CEO, Caritas Westminster
Niall Cooper, Director, Church Action on Poverty
Revd R Creswell, Chair, The Methodist Fund for Human Need
Archbishop Leo William Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
Colin Date, Acting Chair, Christian Concern for One World
Claire Donovan, Campaigns Manager, End Furniture Poverty
Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister of Wales
Jamie Driscoll, Mayor of North Tyne Combined Authority
Andy Elvin, Chief Executive, TACT Fostering
Revd Archie Ford, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group
Ben Gilchrist, CEO, Caritas Shrewsbury
Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain
Revd James Green, Executive Director, Together Liverpool
Ruth Harvey Leader, The Iona Community
Mia Hasenson-Gross, Director, René Cassin
Rev Karen Hendry, Acting Convenor, Faith Impact Forum, Church of Scotland
Joseph Howes, Chair, End Child Poverty Coalition and CEO of Buttle UK
Imran Hussain, Director of Policy and Campaigns, Action for Children
Revd/Parchg Beti-Wyn James, President Union of Welsh Independents/Llywydd Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg
Archbishop Andrew John, Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Bangor, Church in Wales
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
Rajnish Kashyap, General Secretary, Hindu Council UK
Peter Kelly, Director, Poverty Alliance
Paul Kissack, Chief Executive, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Red Dr Ellen Loudon, Chair Together Liverpool
Peter Lynas, UK Director, Evangelical Alliance
Paul McNamee, Editor, The Big Issue
Jon Miles, Senior Development Worker, Transforming Communities Together
Zara Mohammed, Secretary-General, Muslim Council of Britain
Dan Norris, Mayor of the West of England
Elizabeth Palmer, CEO, St Vincent de Paul Society (England & Wales)
Taidgh Pledger, Political Officer, National Education Union
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol
Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, Chair, Justice & Peace Commission, Diocese of Westminster
Revd Paul Rochester, General Secretary, Free Churches Group
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary, Churches Together in England
Rev Ian Rutherford, Chairperson, Greater Manchester Food Security Action Network
Adam Scorer, Chief Executive, National Energy Action
Paul Southgate, Chair, National Justice and Peace Network
Most Revd Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
Paula Stringer, UK Chief Executive, Christians Against Poverty
Anna Taylor, Executive Director, Food Foundation
Revd Graham Thompson, President, Methodist Church in Britain
Anna Turley, Chair, North East Child Poverty Commission
Matthew Van Duyvenbode, CSO , Trussell Trust
Natalie Williams, Chief Executive, Jubilee+
Jo Wittams, Interim Executive Director, The Equality Trust
