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Universal Credits- a new nightmare

(454 Posts)
trisher Mon 18-Sept-17 21:56:03

It's 5 years behind schedule. It takes at least 6 weeks to get any money. If things go wrong you can be without anything for months. Is this really the way we want to look after the most unfortunate who happen to lose their jobs or suffer some other disaster?
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/28/universal-credit-payments-delays-loans

durhamjen Sat 28-Oct-17 00:59:28

tompride.wordpress.com/2017/10/26/tories-take-50000-specially-adapted-cars-away-from-disabled-spend-millions-on-ministerial-cars/

durhamjen Sat 28-Oct-17 00:57:39

Committee Chair, Rt Hon Frank Field MP, said:

"It would be difficult to think, in all my period of Chair of the Select Committee, of a piece of evidence that is so damning on the DWP maladministration which is mangling poorer people's lives. This maladministration is throwing Universal Credit claimants’ finances into chaos."

durhamjen Sat 28-Oct-17 00:55:31

This is evidence from the work and pensions committee.

www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/news-parliament-2017/halton-housing-trust/

durhamjen Fri 27-Oct-17 23:59:27

www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/i-suffer-three-fits-day-684806

Maybe the idea is to reduce the population - the number of people who admit to thinking about suicide because of universal benefit problems is horrendous.

Welshwife Fri 27-Oct-17 19:50:05

When some companies who pay monthly begin employing a person who has been in a job paying weekly they ask if the person would like fortnightly payments the first couple of months.

FarNorth Fri 27-Oct-17 19:33:54

If they genuinely believed that UC would lift children out of poverty, and genuinely want that to happen, I hope they are having a speedy rethink on this, not just keeping quiet.

GracesGranMK2 Fri 27-Oct-17 19:25:20

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has quietly dropped its estimates of how many children will be lifted out of poverty because of Universal Credit.

Why am I not surprised Jen? I hate to think where they will have taken us by the time they go.

FarNorth Fri 27-Oct-17 19:20:39

If someone left a weekly paid job and took a monthly paid job, at the start of its payment month, they would have to tide themselves over till their first money from the new job.

I guess they'd have thought of that, though, and wouldn't move jobs if they wouldn't be able to cope.

People on benefits, or starting to claim benefits, usually haven't had any choice in the matter of whether they can cope with a long wait for money.

So the government is not "helping them to adjust" as it claims. It is creating misery for them.

durhamjen Fri 27-Oct-17 18:54:00

Four weekly has never been the time for those on benefits to be paid.
Four weeks in advance, okay, but to pay in arrears right from the start must be wrong.
Over 50% of those in the pilot schemes have ended up in debt.

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/anger-universal-credit-rolled-out-13707050

lemongrove Fri 27-Oct-17 17:40:39

I am amongst those ‘ who have been following it closely’
And have always felt that four weeks should have been the time, not six.Four weeks is when most people in work receive their pay, so it’s meant to be in line with that.

durhamjen Fri 27-Oct-17 16:58:08

Those of us who have been following it closely know they don't want a pause. However, would you like to be without any money between now and Christmas, which is what is going to happen to those on benefits in my constituency?

It's no good them saying they can have loans. A loan has to be paid back.
They are moving people who are used to being paid weekly onto monthly pay for no reason whatsoever.

lemongrove Fri 27-Oct-17 16:13:55

They don’t want it to be ‘paused’ I think, but I do hope they will bring down the waiting times.

durhamjen Fri 27-Oct-17 15:42:28

Can you explain why the government gave a three line whip to abstain from two votes on universal credit, in that case?
That does not show they are taking concerns about it seriously.

lemongrove Fri 27-Oct-17 15:38:58

I may have already said this ( can’t trawl back pages) but most MP’s and also others think that UC is good in principle, but needs to be brought down to four weeks instead of six.The purpose of rolling out these things in stages is to try and get it right.Hopefully the government will take concerns about it seriously.We shall see.

durhamjen Fri 27-Oct-17 13:43:46

Tories and UBI?
Because it will be easier and quicker to administer than universal credit?

durhamjen Fri 27-Oct-17 13:42:16

So was I, GracesGran.
Michelle Dewberry was the one from Hull.

www.politics.co.uk/news/2017/10/26/dwp-quietly-drops-universal-credit-child-poverty-forecast

Because universal credit is increasing child poverty, and they don't want us to know.

GracesGranMK2 Fri 27-Oct-17 08:31:56

It was Michelle Dewberry Jen. Sorry, I was too tired to look it up last night. She is generally very right wing so it was a real surprise that this was her 'topic'. I am beginning to think they are given the subject to discuss rather than, as they try to present, deciding for themselves. I record it but often don't watch it if Carole Malone is on as I find her loud and boring but did last night as they were discussing UBI. I can only think the interest is because they are trialling it in Scotland.

petra Fri 27-Oct-17 08:22:01

durhamjen
Michelle Mone. That would be Barroness Mone from Glasgow.

durhamjen Fri 27-Oct-17 00:39:30

Michelle Mone?
Is she the one from Hull?

durhamjen Fri 27-Oct-17 00:38:45

Even if they don't do UBI, they could at least even up the Living Wage, so that those under 25 have a decent amount to live on. The Real Living Wage applies to all over 18.
They say they want to help the young.

durhamjen Fri 27-Oct-17 00:36:26

According to Andrea Leadsom, government ministers are to be given 12 weeks to come to parliament and explain after they have refused to vote on opposition debates such as the two universal credit ones.
That gives them until next year to sort something out. In the meantime, the roll-out will continue for those in my constituency and about fifty others.

www.24housing.co.uk/news/advance-payments-no-solution-to-fundamental-flaws-in-universal-credit/

Everyone knows having advance payments is a stupid idea. Why do they need an extra 12 weeks to sort something out?

GracesGranMK2 Fri 27-Oct-17 00:19:41

Mmm. I think there must be something going on as UBI was mentioned on The Pledge this week, which I found very unexpected. It was the women who was on The Apprentice - Michelle someone who spoke about it and she seemed very surprised she was contemplating it but felt she had to. I think it may be because they are trialling it in Scotland.

durhamjen Thu 26-Oct-17 23:54:05

Sorry, it's late.
'Their', I meant to write.

durhamjen Thu 26-Oct-17 23:53:16

It's the living wage foundation living wage next week, I think.
It will be good to see if the government raises there pretend one.

minesaprosecco Thu 26-Oct-17 23:33:36

lemon, petra and annie do you have anything to say about UC?