A YORK couple who said they had to live in a tent for several weeks because of Universal Credit problems will today hand in a petition to 10 Downing Street, calling for changes to the benefit.

Tony Carson and Sue Rimington claimed they had to survive on £4 a day between them for several weeks in the summer as they stayed in their tent in York.

They will be going to the Prime Minister’s residence in London today to present a national petition, organised by the End Hunger UK campaign, which calls on the Government to ‘Fix Universal Credit.’

Organisers say the petition has been circulated and signed by almost 18,000 people at food banks around the country by Universal Credit claimants, people experiencing hunger, and food bank volunteers and supporters.

The couple will be joined by managers from Trussell Trust and independent food banks and Amanda Button, who has worked with many Universal Credit claimants through her voluntary work with anti-poverty organisation ATD Fourth World.

Tony claimed Universal Credit did not work and it was the fault of the system.

“It doesn’t help you get back on your feet, it traps you,” he claimed.

Sue said the benefit was not the only cause of their problems but it had swept them further into difficulty ‘because you can never, ever, be in credit with Universal Credit.’

The petition calls for urgent action to improve the flexibility and support for people on Universal Credit, including flexibility for claimants, with more scope for telephone applications rather than just having to apply online.

It also calls for debt advice to be included as part of Universal Support, for a reduction in the waiting time for payments from five weeks to two and for payments to be increased in line with the real cost of living.

Another demand is for essential benefits, including disability benefits, to be restored, and levels to reach the cost of living.