People gathered in front of big ben holding up placards and statistics related to the Guarantee Our Essentials campaign

Open letter

United to Guarantee Our Essentials

Over 100 organisations are supporting the campaign to Guarantee our Essentials.

When people are going without, it’s time to guarantee our essentials

We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and yet people here in the UK are going without the essentials we all need to get by.

Everyone’s circumstances can change. Losing your job, needing to care for a sick family member, breaking up with your partner — these are things that can happen to any of us.

That’s why Universal Credit should offer support to anyone in need of help, but right now it’s not providing enough to cover the cost of life’s essentials, such as food, household bills and travel costs, with around 5 in 6 low-income households receiving Universal Credit going without.

We can’t always deal with what life throws at us on our own, which is why Universal Credit should protect people from going without the essentials at the very least.

The UK government must embed an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ into Universal Credit to ensure everyone has a protected minimum amount of support to afford the essentials.

Will you help guarantee our essentials?

Launched in April 2023 by JRF and Trussell, the Guarantee Our Essentials campaign now has more than 100 charities, advocacy groups, faith organisations and local authorities supporting it.

Supporters include the Save the Children, Scope and Carers UK.

And organisations are still joining our call. If your organisation would like to add your name as a supporter of the campaign, sign up here.

5 in 6

low-income households receiving Universal Credit are going without essentials

102

organisations support the call for an Essentials Guarantee

Over 150,000

people have signed the petition

Statement of support

To: UK political party leaders

When people are going without, it’s time to Guarantee Our Essentials.

We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and yet people here in the UK are going without the essentials we all need to get by.

Everyone’s circumstances can change. Losing your job, needing to care for a sick family member, breaking up with your partner — these are things that can happen to anyone.

Others will be facing longer-term challenges, such as single parents of young children who are only able to work part-time, or those living with long term disabilities or ill health.

Our social security system should offer support to anyone in need of help, but right now it’s not providing enough to cover the cost of life’s essentials, such as food, utilities and vital household goods, with 9 out of 10 low-income households receiving Universal Credit going without one or more of these essentials.

This means that those facing shorter-term setbacks are too often spiralling into deeper hardship, making it harder for them to get back on their feet, and those already dealing with longer term challenges are experiencing impossible levels of ongoing hardship.

We can’t always deal with what life throws at us on our own, which is why we need to have a system in place that supports us all to afford the essentials. This means ensuring that the basic rate of Universal Credit must at least cover life's essentials, with support never being pulled below that level.

Together, we’re calling on you to adopt the Essentials Guarantee.