When people are going without, it's time to... Guarantee Our Essentials
Find out more about the Trussell Trusts' latest campaign
Help Trussell Trust ensure everyone can afford life’s essentials
As the largest network of food banks across the UK, the Trussell Trust is campaigning to get the government to relook at the current rates of Universal Credit.
We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and yet people here in the UK are going without the essentials we all need to get by.
Anyone’s circumstances can change. Losing your job, needing to care for a sick family member, breaking up with your partner – these are things that can happen to any of us.
That’s why Universal Credit should offer support to anyone in need of help, but right now it’s not providing enough to cover the cost of life’s essentials, such as food, household bills or travel costs.
When people are going without, it’s time to guarantee our essentials
We can’t always deal with what life throws at us on our own, which is why we need to have a system in place that supports us all to afford the essentials while we recover from setbacks.
Without a decent safety net, we are not properly supported if we face challenging times. This is pushing people to food banks.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
More and more people are speaking up and saying that the basic rate of Universal Credit must at least be enough to afford the essentials we all need to get by.
Will you campaign with us to call on the UK Government to guarantee our essentials?
We need an Essentials Guarantee
The basic rate of Universal Credit should at least cover the cost of essentials like food, household bills and travel costs, but it is not currently set according to any objective assessment of what people need. That means there’s a significant shortfall between people’s living costs and their income, which is forcing many to skip meals, switch off essential appliances such as fridges, and turn off their heating.
That’s why we’re working with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to call for an Essentials Guarantee within Universal Credit, which means the basic rate at least covers life’s essentials and that support can never be pulled below that level. Read more on the