A PROTEST was held in Belfast City centre at the weekend following the end to the £20 weekly Covid uplift for those claiming Universal Credit.

Demonstrators gathered outside the offices of the Department for Communities in Belfast on Saturday afternoon.

The temporary £20 increase to payments was introduced in response to the pandemic  but the UK government said it has "always been clear" the uplift was temporary.

West Belfast People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll described the decision to end the £20 uplift as 'callous'.

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"The proposed £20 cut to Universal credit will have a devastating impact on people here," he said.

"It will mean a reduction of £1,000 per year for thousands of families, and a time when furlough is ending and the cost of living is rising.

"This decision will force people to decide whether to "heat or eat" at a time when energy prices have already soared by over 30 per cent. People Before Profit is demanding the Executive step in with funding to protect those on Universal Credit by retaining the £20 uplift.

"Welfare reform has been a disaster and shame on the Executive parties for voting to implement it. It has only served to push people further into poverty."

And the West Belfast MLA said the removal of the £20 uplift would only make things harder for working class families. 

"Let's demand a welfare state which protects society's most vulnerable and provides genuine support rather than one which forces people to rely on food banks to survive," he added.

The decision to stop the Universal Credit £20-per-week payment was made by the Westminster Government and imposed on the devolved governments. However, this week Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey said she had made a case to Executive colleagues for additional funding to maintain the additional £20 payment.