Kent Conservatives have been accused of treating benefits cuts as "a joke" after a councillor said a sweepstake has been held on when they would be mentioned at a meeting.

The government earlier this month removed a £20 uplift to Universal Credit which was introduced during the pandemic to help hard-up families.

The move has proved controversial and led to claims it will see those struggling to make ends meet fall further into poverty.

And now one county councillor has come under fire for saying Tories were betting on when the cuts would be mentioned at a meeting of the authority's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee last month.

Committee chair Paul Bartlett made the comments after Labour councillor Karen Constantine challenged the reaction of other members to her bringing up the removal of the £20 uplift.

After stating that changes will force a lot of families into poverty, she said: “I can hear my colleagues groaning but really this is about prevention being better than cure and what we do now stores up enormous problems for the future.”

Cllr Bartlett replied: "The reason why you heard collective groans is because some colleagues have lost the sweepstake as to when the £20 Universal Credit would be mentioned at this meeting.”

The statement left some councillors joining the meeting via a video link visibly stunned.

Cllr Constantine, who represents Ramsgate, hit back: "I wonder how many of my colleagues have spent time in food banks, or visited the kitchens of people where the cupboards are actually bare, and then we wonder why an eating disorder epidemic.”

She later shared a video of the exchange on Twitter, posting: "Ever wondered what the Tory’s (sic) really think about poverty? Well – it’s a joke."

Kent's only Labour MP, Rosie Duffield, replied: "Really disappointing Karen. Non politically-motivated food bank volunteers telling MPs that the £20 a week that's disappeared from UC has increased demand hugely.

"We all know the rising cost of living means that £20 is needed more than it was during lockdown. How is that funny?!"

Another Twitter user, Gil House, added: "So the Conservatives were laying down bets about when UC would be mentioned. They probably gambled more money than the £20 a week cut.

"They seem to have no shame."

Cllr Bartlett told KentOnline his comments were in response to Cllr Constantine linking the £20 uplift's removal to the ability to pay for healthcare.

"Conservative councillors do not treat the benefit system as a joke - there was no sweepstake," he said.

"The benefit system is designed to assist those in need of support.

"My interpretation of what was said by Cllr Constantine was that the change in Universal Credit would create a lottery that would affect healthcare outcomes in Kent.

"The introduction of a temporary uplift of universal credit was a reaction to the pandemic and it is not appropriate to try and link the end of the temporary change to potential healthcare outcomes in Kent.

"The NHS is free at the point of use and the suggestion that a health lottery will emerge from the change in benefit rules is incorrect and may dissuade residents from seeking help at the earliest possible time which is key to effective outcomes."

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