Cost of Living: Wythenshawe and Sale East
What steps she has taken to help support people with the cost of living in Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency.
The Government are committed to easing cost of living pressures for people in Wythenshawe and Sale East, and across the UK. Budget measures are already helping households; we are freezing prescription charges for the second year in a row, freezing rail fares for the first time in 30 years, and taking £150 off energy bills, as well as protecting pensioners through the triple lock and lifting half a million children out of poverty.
My constituents Darren and Nicole shared with me their story of hardship in raising five children on one income. Like me, they are grateful to this Chancellor for ending the two child benefit cap. Will she consider an independent process for advising the Government on how much universal credit needs to be, if people are to afford everyday items?
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing the story of Darren and Nicole to this House. I hope that they and their children will benefit from the change I made to the two child limit for universal credit, as well as from the rolling out of free breakfast clubs to all primary schools, and the introduction of free school meals for all children whose parents are on universal credit, which will start in September and be available at primary, secondary, nursery and further education levels. As the Trussell Trust has said, the decisions I made in my Budget mean that the cruel two child limit, which drove countless families into hardship and forced them to turn to food banks to survive, will end.