With the support of a cross-party group of councillors, Hull may very well be the first UK city to test a weekly universal basic income for its residents. If the proposal is set into effect, every adult would be paid a basic sum, somewhere between £50 and £100 a week, regardless of income, and do away with the need for welfare. Those receiving disability payments would instead get the equivalent sum in universal basic income (UBI) and there would be higher payments for pensioners and lower sums for children.
Chief executive of Hull city council, Matt Jukes will write to Chancellor Sajid Javid, to request permission to pilot UBI after winning the backing of councillors last week. Sam Gregory, chair of UBI lab in Sheffield supports the scheme and said Hull's backing was an important moment for basic income in the UK. He said, “Three major northern cities- Liverpool, Sheffield, and Hull have now been asked to host pilots of this radical new idea, because the Westminster way of doing things has failed these communities for far too long.”
He added, “Even the Conservative councillors in Hull voted for this motion, saying that they were open-minded about a pilot in the city. We don't know if UBI is the answer, but there's a growing consensus between different political parties that we need to test it out.”
Economists have argued for UBI as a source of personal empowerment, providing citizens with more choice over work, education, training, leisure and caring. Others argue that UBI would be too expensive and be difficult to set at the right level, and believe higher spending on public services would work better. Liberal Democrat councillor Jack Haines said Britain's welfare system was broken and that UBI could be a better way of helping those most in need. “Hull is a progressive city and I'm proud of the Liberal Democrats here as well as the other parties have chosen to try out this new policy, which has the possibility to transform the city and the country.”
