Over 4,000 East Renfrewshire residents to be hit by Universal Credit cut

Analysis from the House of Commons Library revealed that almost half a million (477,996) Scots could be hit by the £20 cut to Universal Credit that the UK Government is introducing on October 6.

Of those, 4,219 live in East Renfrewshire – representing over seven per cent of residents aged 16 to 65.

East Renfrewshire MP Kirsten Oswald urged the UK Government to reconsider.

She said: "At a time when energy bills and the cost of living are soaring, it would be unthinkable for the UK Government to go ahead with cuts that would decimate the incomes of over 4,000 East Renfrewshire residents.

“I am urging the Chancellor to U-turn on these cuts, and instead make the £20 Universal Credit uplift permanent and extend it to legacy benefits as part of a wider package of measures to protect household incomes.”