A MP says families in the borough have faced the "brutal effects of the cost of living crisis" as a report shows there has not been enough government support.
The Work and Pensions Select Committee, which includes Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams, has published a report which found the government’s cost of living support has been insufficient.
The cross-party inquiry received nearly 2,000 survey responses from those with first hand experience of the payments.
It discovered that payments have not reached all low income households and therefore calls on the government to consider adding housing benefit as a qualifying benefit for future cost of living support payments.
The committee also found that the unsophisticated nature of the payments system has often failed to meet the needs of families, older people and those with disabilities.
As such, the report recommends that future cost of living support payments should therefore take account of family size, while financial support for those with disabilities should be increased in proportion to the additional costs that they incur.
The report also recommends that the government should uprate Universal Credit instead of issuing payments and that guidance to local authorities on the Household Support Fund should be clarified to make clear the potential eligibility of some people with no recourse to public funds, who are currently missing out on help.
Ms Abrahams said: “Here in Oldham and Saddleworth we have seen the brutal effects of the cost of living crisis on ordinary families.
"Prices have spiralled out of control while wages and social security support have been drastically cut in real terms.
"It is at moments like these that we see the importance of a social security system that is adequate enough to support those who need it, not a safety net with gaping holes.
"For example, this September I published a film called The Unequal Pandemic and one of the clear conclusions of the experts who were interviewed was that the inadequacy of the social security system was linked to excess deaths during the pandemic.
"The link between social security and our health could not be clearer, in Oldham, Saddleworth and beyond.”
In response, spokesperson from the Department for Work and Pensions said: “The cost of living payments have provided a significant financial boost to millions of households - just one part of the record £94bn support package we have provided to help with the rising cost of bills.
“This includes a 10.1 per cent rise to benefits earlier this year, and we’re investing £3.5bn to help thousands into jobs – the best way to secure their financial security in the long-term.
“Ultimately, the best way we can help families is to reduce inflation, and we’re sticking to our plan to halve it this year, taking the long-term decisions that will secure the country’s financial future.”
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