I’m a single mum who works THREE jobs – but I still can’t pay my rent on Universal Credit
Single mum Tanya Lawson, 51, has 63p from every pound she earns over £198 a month deducted from her Universal Credit payment like thousands of workers round the UK
SINGLE-MUM Tanya Lawson works as a carer for the elderly, as a dinner lady AND runs an after-school club - yet she still can't afford her rent after her Universal Credit payments were cut.
The 51-year-old mum of one, who lives in Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, is struggling to keep up with bills and is so strapped for cash that she has to walk the four-mile round trip to work as she can't afford the bus fare, despite suffering an agonising foot condition.
"It brings me to tears, because it's so humiliating to be put through this month after month," Tanya told The Sun, which this month launched its Make Universal Credit Work campaign to help the 7million people who will be rolled on to Universal Credit by 2023.
"The jobs I do mean I'm on my feet all day in the school yard supervising, in after-school clubs putting out and packing away toys, tables, chairs, and walking round supervising the children," said Tanya, who suffers from plantar fasciitis, a condition which causes heel and arch pain.
"I'm on my feet doing the cleaning. I take ibuprofen in the morning, paracetamol at lunchtime. I have gel cushioned heel insoles in my footwear. I just do my best to get through the day."
Tanya, who lives with 17-year-old son Christian, says her salary varies from £200 to £800 a month as her hours are affected by school holidays, and as a result she never knows how much she will receive in Universal Credit.
'Impossible to budget'
Under the previous benefits system, Tanya received a basic rate for childcare of around £315, plus housing benefit of £284 a month.
Tanya was moved onto Universal Credit in November, but had to wait five weeks for her first payment - which was just £22 when it came through.
She said: “Once I applied for Universal Credit my other benefits stopped.
"I ended up owing back-rent of £270, although I’ve managed to pay £200 of this.
"Plus I owed £160 in council tax. So far I’ve paid £80, and will clear this debt next month. The rent will have to wait, as I can’t commit to re-paying in full as I have no money.
“I go to the Job Centre, I go to work, the shops and then I go home."
A spokesperson from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said: “Universal Credit adjusts automatically to earnings to ensure people receive the right support.
"We have investigated the earnings used in Ms Lawson’s claim and have confirmed her payments have been calculated correctly.”
The Sun has also revealed how one family are facing a Christmas without food or presents due to Universal Credit.
Our Make Universal Credit Work campaign has had huge support from charities and readers, with experts praising our powerful reporting and putting pressure on MPs to help struggling Brits.
How is Tanya Lawson doing now?
SIX months on from the launch of our Make Universal Credit Work campaign, we've revisited some of our most hard-hitting stories.
We spoke to Tanya Lawson again in June 2019 to get an update on her situation.
She told us she is still working as a cleaner although her hours have become more balanced, which means she now earns a steady £500 a month rather than earning anything from £200 to £800 a month.
Her son is currently back from university, and is contributing £25 a week towards the rent, which helps.
But Tanya is sadly having more problems with debt and she now owes more than £400 in rent and council tax arrears.
This is because her council tax recently rose by more than £10 a month, and with gas and electricity costing more due to a new payment plan, she can’t meet all the repayments.
It's also left her relying more and more on her mum for food, such as the odd breast of chicken or baked potatoes.
Tanya told The Sun: “I worked hard to reduce what I owed, but it’s gone right back up. It never seems to get better. I just can’t seem to get on top of my money."
The mum also still suffers from an agognising foot condition, which is made worse being on her feet all day. Tanya said: “I do a lot of walking, to and from work, the shops, the JobCentre.
";I’m always on my feet at work, cleaning. I just go through shoes at an alarming rate. But I just don’t have the money to buy decent ones that fit. With my feet problems I’m always in pain. It’s no way to carry on.
“I can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel, but I’ll keep plugging away. I don’t have any option.”
The Sun has reached out to the Department for Work and Pensions again, which says it stands by its original comment in this piece.
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