As Christians, we should be concerned about the poorest in our community that goes without saying. Christ commanded us whatever our financial status to look after and look out for those who are the most vulnerable for one reason or another.

Austerity has hit those on benefits or low wage jobs the hardest. With the rollout of Universal Credit across the land (debuting in Blackpool on 5 December) coming to a jobcentre near you it seems the poorest are being hit again.

Universal Credit seems like a good idea enrolling 6 major benefits into 1 however the reality does not reflect this. Many claimants are having to wait 5 weeks or more before they receive their first monthly payment. This leaves them in arrears and has led sadly to some extremely desperate people committing suicide.

I have written an article on this subject if you are interested please follow the linklink