Welfare – Adel and Wharfedale Branch

Economy: Universal Credit is Broken

Sky News have been doing some digging and have discovered that rent arrears, evictions and food bank use are soaring in areas where Universal Credit has been rolled out. When will this government realise the damage they are doing to this country? https://news.sky.com/story/line-18-food-bank-use-four-times-higher-in-universal-credit-areas-11343772

The DWP are back in court in an attempt to close one of the current routes that gives claimants the chance to appeal decisions via the Human Rights Act. That's right, the government is arguing with the Human Rights Act - despicable. http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2018/02/20/dwp-goes-back-to-court-to-block-future-benefit-appeals

Ruth Lister is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at Loughborough University, sits on the National Advisory Panel of CLASS (Centre for Labour & Social Studies), and is a Labour Peer. Here she writes of the damage caused by making claimants wait 6 weeks to claim UC. http://classonline.org.uk/blog/item/6-week-wait-for-universal-credit-is-not-a-delay-its-a-deliberate-and-damagi

In the last 6 months the number of people on JSA or Universal Credit that have had their benefits sanctioned is up 50% from the previous 6 months. http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2017/09/04/benefit-sanctions-shoot-up-50-in-six-months

Jim McMahon MP (Oldham West & Royton - Lab & Co-Op) writes here about the failings of the Universal Credit system and how it needs serious work before it is rolled out across the rest of the country. http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/welfare/2017/08/universal-credit-sending-families-food-banks-it-must-be-suspended