By Forgotten Rights
They say “just budget better.”
They say “it’s enough to live on if you’re careful.”
Here’s the truth: Universal Credit isn’t enough to live on. It’s barely enough to exist—and sometimes, not even that.
The Numbers No One Talks About
- The standard Universal Credit allowance for a single adult over 25 is £393.45 a month.
- Average monthly bills for rent, energy, and food in the UK? Over £1,200.
- That’s before you factor in essentials like travel to hospital appointments, medication not covered by the NHS, or basic toiletries.
You can “budget” all you like, but you can’t budget your way out of a system designed to keep you in permanent crisis.
What It Looks Like in Real Life
- Skipping meals so your child can eat.
- Sitting in the dark because you can’t afford electricity.
- Choosing between paying rent and buying medication.
- Walking five miles to an appointment because the bus fare would take away from your weekly food budget.
This isn’t bad luck. It’s a deliberate political choice.
Why It’s This Bad
Because poverty is a tool. It’s a way to keep people desperate, isolated, and too busy surviving to fight back. They tell the public it’s about “fiscal responsibility” or “encouraging work”—but really, it’s about control.
What You Can Do
✅ Share this post—because most people don’t know how low UC really is.
✅ Demand change: write to your MP, call them out publicly.
✅ Support Forgotten Rights through [Ko-fi], [Patreon], or donations—because independent voices can’t survive on thin air.
They call it “welfare.” We call it state-enforced poverty.
Next week: “The Last Safety Net” – How they’re dismantling the very idea of a welfare state.
