DWP breaks silence on increasing £10 Christmas Bonus to £165 | Personal Finance | Finance
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has responded to an online petition which called for the £10 Christmas bonus to be increased to £165.
Over 20,600 people signed the petition regarding the payment, which is received by millions of people across the country.
The creator of the petition, Shona McMahon, said: “Christmas is THE most expensive time of the year! Pensioners, the vulnerable & people like myself, disabled, could do with an extra boost at this time of year, especially as the energy assistance has been axed.”
The £10 bonus was first introduced by the government in 1972, awarded to those who claim benefits, but has been the same amount ever since.
A DWP spokesperson said: “We are taking immediate action to turn around the dire inheritance we face – with more people living in poverty now than 14 years ago.
“This includes extending the Household Support Fund for the most vulnerable, kickstarting work to develop a strategy to reduce child poverty and taking the first steps towards delivering a genuine living wage for working people.”
Shona McMahon’s petition is not the only one that has called for an increase in Chrismas bonus.
On the Parliamentary website, another petition that ran for six months and is now closed also called for an increase in the amount rewarded – stating it should be in line with inflation.
It reads: “The Christmas bonus was introduced in 1972. Since then, inflation has lowered the cost of the pound significantly, yet the £10 number remained the same.
“With inflation taken into account, the bonus should actually be around £130. We want the Government to account for inflation in these payments.
“The DWP Christmas bonus for benefit claimants is a measly £10 – hardly enough to cover the costs associated with holidays.
“It is almost insulting to be presented with an amount of money this small – the equivalent of 76p before inflation – when many of us are already living hand to mouth and in constant fear of getting our benefits reassessed or revoked. Disabled and low-income people deserve better.”