Shona McMahon, a former office manager living with degenerative disc disease in her back, neck, and spine, as well as liver disease and other health concerns, receives Adult Disability Payment and Personal Independent Payment (PIP). As a result, McMahon qualifies for the £10 Christmas bonus, a one-off tax-free payment awarded to millions of people in the UK every December to help cover the cost of the festive period. The scheme was introduced in 1972 and has been awarded every year to those who claim certain benefits.
Ms McMahon started a petition after realizing that the bonus had not increased in half a century. The petition has since attracted more than 5,500 signatures. According to McMahon, “The fact that it has been £10 for 51 years, since 1972, is pretty ridiculous, and it has not gone up…On the petition, of the comments that are coming through, ‘it is an insult’ is the biggest one.” The bonus would be worth around £163 today if it had risen in line with inflation.
Ms McMahon is not the only person calling for a change to the £10 payment. Chris Birt, of anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said, “The social security system is completely inadequate and is causing deep hardship and destitution in our country at the moment…That is the fundamental issue which needs to be fixed. As to the £10 bonus payment, if that is supposed to bring a bit of joy into a household that is struggling, it needs to be higher than that.”
This year has become much more of a financial strain for millions of people across the UK. The cost of living crisis has upped the amount people are paying for food, energy, and services, with Christmas adding additional pressures to many households. Ms McMahon says she won’t have anything extra over Christmas and most of the presents under her Christmas tree are just boxes wrapped up for show. “I have told the kids that they will have to wait until next year, that’s just the way it is.”
A spokesperson for the DWP said, “We will be paying many people their benefits earlier over Christmas and continuing the £10 bonus at a time when budgets are often stretched…We know some families are struggling, which is why we are providing support worth around £3,700 per household on average, including raising benefits by over 10% this year.” Despite this, there is a general call for the UK government to address the issue of poverty and provide adequate support to those in need, especially during the holiday season
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