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CAS Data Briefing: Universal Credit and Covid-19

CAS produced this data briefing alongside a policy briefing calling for the £20 a week increase to Universal Credit to be made permanent.

The data briefing contains comprehensive statistics that aim to give an understanding of the economic impact of COVID-19 through data on the people seeking advice from Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) on Universal Credit and other Citizens Advice network statistics.

Key Findings

›  Since March, Scotland’s Citizens Advice Network has provided over 85,000 pieces of advice on Universal Credit.

›  A quarter (27%) of clients seeking Universal Credit advice for the first time lived in the most affluent parts of Scotland (SIMD quintiles 4 and 5).

›  Over 1 in 4 (28%) of new CAB clients seeking advice on Universal Credit are homeowners; Universal Credit doesn’t provide mortgage support for 39 weeks.

›  1 in 10 (11%) new CAB clients are self-employed, in comparison to 5% of repeat Universal Credit clients.

›  A third (34%) of CAB clients seeking advice on Universal Credit are in part-time or full- time employment.

›  Redundancy advice has more than tripled as a proportion of all CAB employment advice given.

›  Over 1 in 3 people in Scotland are concerned about their future income.

Author
Debbie Horne
Publication date
November 2020
Publication type
Policy