READ HERE - Article by Georgina Trace

ALEX CULVIN, member of UBI Lab Network, tells Georgina Trace how a Universal Basic Income in the UK could emancipate women and provide financial security during the coronavirus pandemic

ONE WAY out of the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus and the government's mishandling of the crisis is to introduce a universal basic income (UBI), an unconditional monthly salary paid to every individual.

Though Labour’s previous shadow chancellor John McDonnell had indicated the party would be up for experimenting with UBI, his successor Anneliese Dodds last week indicated that Labour would not be considering it at the next election. But why not?

UBI Lab Network “is a worldwide network of citizens, researchers, activists and campaigners exploring the potential of universal basic income.”

READ HERE - Article by Alex Seabrook

Campaigners said it was a "very big win" — although a pilot would need funding and support from the Welsh and UK Governments

Cardiff’s council leader has called for the city to take part in any future universal basic income pilot.

Councillor Huw Thomas wrote to the First Minister “expressing Cardiff’s interest” in a pilot, which could see thousands of people given £100 a week. He urged the Welsh Government to explore whether a pilot scheme in Wales was possible.

The idea of a universal basic income (UBI) — where every citizen is paid a fixed sum to cover basic costs, whether they are rich or poor, working or unemployed — has been gaining traction as a radical way to reduce poverty. Several cities across the UK are also interested in hosting pilot schemes.

READ HERE - Article by Damien Edgar

As the executive announces a £95m retail voucher scheme, attention is turning to other ways to financially support those affected by the pandemic.

Universal basic income (UBI) has been proposed as a potential way of future-proofing for any society-wide event.

It is something that has operated in other countries, but has not yet been seen in the UK.

So could UBI be one solution to huge levels of economic uncertainty, as seen during the coronavirus lockdown?

What is UBI?

Universal basic income is a flat rate payment that is paid on a regular basis to every individual in society, regardless of their employment status.

READ HERE - Article by David Rozental-Devis

“There will not be a magic day when we wake up and it’s now okay to express ourselves publicly. We make that day by doing things publicly until it’s simply the way things are.”

~ US Senator Tammy Baldwin, 2000

This statement of encouraging people to live openly in public, whilst something that has certainly pushed the rights and needs of our community forward, is impossible for many people in the LGBTQ+ community to act upon. Be it for their close family members, or the culture around which they have grown up, living openly is not always a safe option. In fact, according to the UK Government’s LGBT National Survey 2017 (1), 24% of LGBTQ+ people are not open at all with their family, and 29% have experienced an incident with someone they lived with, including but not limited to: verbal harassment, controlling or coercive behaviour, and being outed (having their sexual orientation or gender identity revealed by someone else without consent). This isn’t even to mention the experiences of those in less accepting countries.

READ HERE - Article by Nick Dawson

Two councillors in Hinckley have joined calls for a test run of Universal Basic Income (UBI) pilots to help people during coronavirus.

Liberal Democrat Michael Mullaney, borough and county councillor for Hinckley, Leicestershire, and Mathew Hulbert, of Barwell Parish Council, have signed a letter urging the Government to trial the policy.

Councillor Mullaney said: "The 520 elected officials who have signed this letter are urging the Government to look at launching pilots for a Universal Basic Income that would ensure everyone had a guaranteed income at this difficult time.

"This pandemic has sadly shown that anyone, through no fault of their own, can lose their jobs, or business or livelihoods.

READ HERE - Article by Sam Gregory

The South Yorkshire mayor has said pilots could help build case for radical welfare reform.

The leader of Sheffield City Region has said that ambitious proposals to provide every citizen with a guaranteed monthly income "deserve further exploration."

Mayor Dan Jarvis, who is also MP for Barnsley, said that pilots of Universal Basic Income (UBI) could resolve some of the "outstanding questions" about how the idea would work in practice.

“With soaring unemployment, and inequality already a serious concern, we need to look very closely at our benefits system to ensure it delivers dignity, fairness and a safety net for everyone who needs it," he told Now Then.

READ HERE - Article by Jasmine Norden

Elected representatives across the UK have called on the government to prevent poverty by trialling Universal Basic Income (UBI).

On 30 October, 520 MPs, councillors, peers, mayors and members of devolved assemblies, wrote to chancellor Rishi Sunak. They emphasised how current government support is leaving many families in poverty.

In the letter, organised by UBI Lab Network, the elected representatives said:

“Millions of people have fallen through the cracks of the government’s support packages. The pandemic has left countless families facing poverty and extreme hardship.”

READ HERE - Article by Richard Partington

Large cross-party group urges government to allow councils to run pilot schemes

A cross-party group of MPs has called on the government to allow councils to run universal basic income trials in response to mass unemployment triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A letter to the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, signed by more than 500 MPs, lords and local councillors says pilot schemes are urgently needed as the pandemic unleashes widespread economic disruption and drives up redundancies at the fastest rate on record this winter. Launching a UBI would mean the state paying every adult a basic sum regardless of their income.

READ HERE - Article by John Rogers

Glasgow based activist John Rogers says Universal Basic Income is the alternative to the damaging Universal Credit system that we need.

If we are going to plan changes to how we live together, we need to come up with a lot of ideas about how to make that work. Here is one – Universal Basic Income (UBI).

UBI is a way of ensuring financial security through regular weekly or monthly payments. Everyone is paid whether working or not, thereby ensuring there is real social security for us all. It avoids all the bureaucracy and huge cost involved in the current social security system, as well as removing the stigma associated with means tested unemployment and welfare benefits.

READ HERE - Article by Dorset Eye

MPs, peers and councillors from six parties across the UK have formed a unique new political group to explore the potential of Universal Basic Income (UBI).

AThe CPPLG on UBI – standing for Cross-Party Parliamentary and Local Government Group – is a unique new form of APPG that brings parliamentarians together with councillors, elected mayors and members of the devolved assemblies on an equal footing.

The aim of the group is to co-produce work to collectively advocate for policy positions, UBI pilots and the need to test alternatives to the current welfare system, with a view to influencing the wider debate around UBI and social security in the UK.

This group will improve links between Westminster and elected representatives across the UK and could be transformative in bringing about positive change and improved ways of working between elected representatives across the country.

READ HERE - Article by Jessica Murray

Insecurity caused by coronavirus has prompted more people to join UK groups calling for change

People on a street in Cardiff, where a UBI Lab is exploring the potential for pilot schemes in Wales. Photograph: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

It was when he set up a pro bono advice clinic for people facing homelessness that Jonathan Williams, a trainee solicitor, really became committed to the idea of trialling universal basic income (UBI). “There was someone who had been on the street for over 12 months and he was exhausted. I just thought it would be a great foundation for him to get himself back on his feet,” he said.

“So many people fall through the cracks and there’s a lot of people now that don’t even apply for universal credit because they’ve just given up on it.”

READ HERE - Article by By Simon Duffy

As we look to a post-pandemic future, more and more local authorities are getting behind the idea of a Universal Basic Income. The case is stronger than ever, argues Simon Duffy, not only for creating a more egalitarian society, but in freeing people up to play a greater part in local life and decision making.

Basic Income is in the news and on the agenda of UK politicians in a way that would have seemed unimaginable just 12 months ago. Partly this is the result of the extraordinary economic crisis which is emerging in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; the insecurities and indebtedness upon which our current economic system are built cannot cope with this level of radical change. Basic income offers a more efficient and progressive way of re-stimulating the economy, avoiding the chronic problems associated with bank and business bailout.

READ HERE - Article By Joseph Gerrard

Opposition councillors said UBI would help workers facing uncertainty during the coronavirus crisis

Liberal Democrat councillors have launched a 'UBI Lab' to push for a trial of Universal Basic Income in Hull.

Group founders Councillors Jack Haines and Paul Drake-Davis have called on Hull residents to get involved with their push for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) pilot scheme.

The councillors said giving cash payments to every adult would free residents from financial worry as some Hull workers face job and income uncertainty due to the coronavirus outbreak.