The borough now has fourth-highest number of people receiving the benefit in London with nearly 50,000 claimants

The number of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Enfield has reached a record high.

The latest government figures show there are now 48,108 claimants of the combined benefits system in the borough, after a jump of 934 in just one month and 4,596 over the last year.

Enfield’s record total of UC claimants puts it behind only Newham, Croydon and Brent among London boroughs.

The London Assembly member for the borough has called on the government to “address low pay” after data also revealed that 41% of Enfield residents now receiving UC are in work.

Joanne McCartney says the government must take action on the causes of low pay, including the prevalence of insecure work and poor workers’ rights. As well as the government reducing the right to strike through minimum service legislation, she criticised them for not addressing the rise of zero-hour contracts.

There are now more than one million Londoners receiving UC in total, with 1,010,880 claimants across the capital – slightly lower than the record-high of 1,018,628 seen in March 2021.

However, over half (51%) of working-age people in the capital living in poverty are already in work.

McCartney also points out that UC has failed to keep up with the rising cost of living, meaning thousands of people in Enfield have not been able to buy basic goods – 90% of low-income households on UC are currently going without essentials, according to data from The Trussell Trust and Joseph Rountree Foundation.

McCartney, the Labour Party’s London Assembly member for Enfield and Haringey, said: “It is a travesty that so many Londoners are forced to claim Universal Credit by low pay and government mismanagement of the economy.

“Ministers insist that getting people into work is the key to eliminating poverty but their own figures show that many claimants are already in work. Instead of finding work that pays, many of these people have been cheated out of good jobs by a government intent on doing nothing to raise wages.

“On top of this, the government has abandoned those out of work due to long-term sickness, leaving them languishing on waiting lists rather than properly supporting the NHS to give them the care they need.”

McCartney, who is also Sadiq Khan’s deputy mayor for children and families, has championed the work of City Hall in supporting low-income households, with the universal free school meals service being extended for a second year, saving some families around £1,000 per child.

“City Hall has been leading the way to lift Londoners out of poverty,” says McCartney. “Now the government must play their part by improving workers’ conditions and sorting out the NHS that so many Londoners rely on.”

In November’s Autumn Statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced an increase to Universal Credit. He said: “The government has decided to increase Universal Credit and other benefits from next April by 6.7% in line with September’s inflation figure, an average increase of £470 for 5.5 million households next year. Vital support to those on the very lowest incomes.”

Hunt also confirmed the National Living Wage would rise from by 9.8% to £11.44 an hour – the “largest ever cash increase, worth up to £1,800 for a full-time worker”. The chancellor added: “By reforming the welfare system, reducing workless households and tackling low pay we have helped lift 1.7 million people out of absolute poverty since 2010 because a central part of our plan for growth is to make work pay.”

No news is bad news 

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts. 

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less. 

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation. 

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit 

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.  

More information on supporting us monthly or yearly 

More Information about donations