According to the research by Action for Children, the number of households on universal credit more than doubled from 1 million to over 2 million between 2019 and 2022.
Less than half (44 per cent) of those extra 1.1 million families were previously receiving ‘legacy’ benefits that are gradually being replace by universal credit. This suggests that at least 630,000 of the remaining families are new claimants, it says.
The analysis is based upon Government data obtained by the charity through a Freedom of Information request
It comes as new figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions reveal there were 5.9 million people on universal credit last month. They also show a rise in the number of households – mostly single parent families- receiving the benefit.
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