Ministers told to raise sick pay as report says 1.6m would be unable to pay bills

Ministers are being urged to raise the basic rate of statutory sick pay from £3 an hour, one of the lowest in the developed world, after a report found the government's changes would leave more than 1.6 million people unable to pay essential bills.

Tom MacInnes, the director of policy at Citizens Advice, stated: 'The proposed reforms to the system are welcome but they don't go far enough. Crucially, the amount of SSP people receive must be increased so it more closely reflects national living wage.'

The UK has one of the stingiest rates of SSP in the developed world, according to the Resolution Foundation, at just £118.75 a week, or £3 an hour for full-time workers from April.

Citizens Advice said: 'Ministers must go much further,' emphasizing the need for significant increases to ensure people don't fall into hardship when sick.

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