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Neighbours on Universal Credit go days without eating and forced to live off just £55.80 a week

NEIGHBOURS on Universal Credit say they’ve gone days without eating and forced to live off just £55.80 a week.

One in every six adults in Manningham, Bradford get social security payments.

MEN MediaMohammed Ali said he can barely pay his bills and is unable to get enough food[/caption]

MEN MediaNusrat Naheed, 57, also relies on Universal Credit, and said she struggles to attend hospital appointments[/caption]

Mohammed Ali, 63, said he can barely pay his bills and is unable to get enough food.

He told Yorkshire Live: “I haven’t eaten for the last two days. All I’ve got is about eight tea bags and a bit of sugar left.

“I haven’t even got any milk. Everything is empty. To be honest with you, it’s very hard.”

Mr Ali is one of more than 2,000 people in the area who rely on Universal Credit.

He gets £55.80 a week – but says this isn’t enough to pay for his food, and that he needs family members to provide for him.

Mr Ali said he hasn’t got a cooker, and that he often goes up to three days without food.


His neighbour Nusrat Naheed, 57, also relies on Universal Credit, and said she struggles to attend hospital appointments to deal with severe issues with her eyesight as she can’t afford to pay for transport.

She said her Universal Credit isn’t enough to cover her bills and food costs.

Ms Naheed said she often doesn’t eat full meals.

In Manningham, 17 per cent of all people aged 16 and older are on Universal Credit – compared to 8.9 per cent for the rest of Bradford and 5.5 per cent for Great Britain.

Bradford Jobcentre senior employer and partnership lead Angela McVay said that Universal Credit claims in the area had increased during the Covid pandemic but a “little bit of a better picture” was beginning to emerge.

It comes as more than three million children will be hit by the upcoming cut to Universal Credit payments.

The government will end a £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit payments at the end of next month.

The decision to cut the benefit will affect 3.4million children in Britain.

It will mean that “many more families will be pushed into the red”, according to charity Save the Children.

Almost 1.9million households with children were receiving Universal Credit in May 2021, according to the latest government statistics.

The data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed that 46% of these families had a child aged four or under.