{"id":32170,"date":"2017-09-22T21:23:37","date_gmt":"2017-09-22T20:23:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/?p=32170"},"modified":"2017-09-22T21:23:37","modified_gmt":"2017-09-22T20:23:37","slug":"government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/","title":{"rendered":"The government must not press ahead with Universal Credit next month"},"content":{"rendered":"

In three weeks\u2019 time, the biggest ever reform to the benefits system will undergo a significant gear change.<\/p>\n

For the last 15 months the full version of Universal Credit has been introduced to around 5 new locations every month, but from October roll-out increases to 50 a month. Watford is scheduled for 6th December.<\/p>\n

In principle Universal Credit is a good idea. You won\u2019t find many people arguing against the need to simplify the benefits system or smoothing the transition into and out of work. And for many people, it does work.<\/p>\n

But as it stands the system is not ready for the acceleration next month.\u00a0Too many people are waiting over six weeks for a first payment and are not getting the support they need to navigate the system. This is pushing thousands of families into a spiral of debt and placing an even greater strain on our public services.<\/span><\/p>\n

Citizens Advice\u2019s new analysis, published on 10 September, shows that people we help with money matters are more likely to be in the most serious types of debt \u2014 where you could lose your home or even face prison \u2014 if they are on Universal Credit than if they\u2019re on one of the benefits it replaces.<\/p>\n

Problems caused by flaws in the system can have a huge knock-on effect, as local authorities and housing providers are left chasing what they\u2019re owed, and people are more likely to need services to help with problems such as homelessness, health issues, and social care.<\/p>\n

By 2022, over 7 million households will receive the new benefit, and\u00a0Citizens Advice analysis<\/a>\u00a0reveals over half of these will be in work.<\/p>\n

Since it was introduced in 2013 the roll-out of Universal Credit has been very slow, as the DWP adopted a \u2018test and learn\u2019 approach of ironing out problems with the system as it expanded. This is only right, as this radical benefits revolution is going to affect huge swathes of the population. Just\u00a0last month<\/a> Secretary of State David Gauke, who is also MP for South West Hertforshire told MPs he is committed to \u201cgetting Universal Credit right\u201d.<\/p>\n

But next month\u2019s acceleration flies in the face of caution, because while the principles behind Universal Credit are sound, the system today is still deeply flawed.<\/p>\n

It is designed to help people get on in life, but our research shows it can often have the opposite effect, with many pushed into debt waiting for payments, or confused and distressed by administrative problems and a lack of support.<\/p>\n

Citizens Advice research is based upon the experiences of people who turn to us when they have a problem, but even the DWP\u2019s\u00a0own figures<\/a>\u00a0show one in five people are not receiving the Universal Credit payment they\u2019re due six weeks after they apply, leaving their finances in tatters. This is simply not acceptable.<\/p>\n

With\u00a0just a few weeks<\/a>\u00a0until tens of thousands more people a month are moved onto Universal Credit, Citizens Advice is renewing its call for the government to pause roll-out and get the benefit to a point where it can deliver on its promise.<\/p>\n

It must fix the problems with the system and make sure no one waits longer than 6 weeks for an income \u2014 while anyone who needs it should receive a payment within 2 weeks that they do not need to repay. The government should also ensure that everyone has access to the support they need to adapt to Universal Credit.<\/p>\n

These changes are not small fry, minority issues. A growing chorus of voices \u2014 from Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee\u00a0Frank Field<\/a>\u00a0to the \u2018architect\u2019 of Universal Credit\u00a0Iain Duncan Smith<\/a> \u2014 have expressed concern that the flaws in the system and cuts to work allowances are undermining its opportunity to deliver.<\/p>\n

Pressing ahead with roll-out now would show a serious disregard of the impact we know problems with Universal Credit are having on people\u2019s lives, and store up serious problems for the services that are left to pick up the pieces.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in Times Red Box on\u00a0<\/em>11 September 2017<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In three weeks\u2019 time, the biggest ever reform to the benefits system will undergo a significant gear change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"protect_children":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe government must not press ahead with Universal Credit next month - Watford<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The government must not press ahead with Universal Credit next month - Watford\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In three weeks\u2019 time, the biggest ever reform to the benefits system will undergo a significant gear change.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Watford\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-22T20:23:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Catherine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Catherine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/\",\"name\":\"The government must not press ahead with Universal Credit next month - Watford\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-22T20:23:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-09-22T20:23:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#\/schema\/person\/1996edfac08552850d60dba72537026e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The government must not press ahead with Universal Credit next month\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/\",\"name\":\"Watford\",\"description\":\"Citizens Advice Watford\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#\/schema\/person\/1996edfac08552850d60dba72537026e\",\"name\":\"Catherine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d2c78c842fbb7a2cb0a2d85f9cae5a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d2c78c842fbb7a2cb0a2d85f9cae5a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Catherine\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/author\/asm\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The government must not press ahead with Universal Credit next month - Watford","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"The government must not press ahead with Universal Credit next month - Watford","og_description":"In three weeks\u2019 time, the biggest ever reform to the benefits system will undergo a significant gear change.","og_url":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/","og_site_name":"Watford","article_published_time":"2017-09-22T20:23:37+00:00","author":"Catherine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Catherine","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/","url":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/","name":"The government must not press ahead with Universal Credit next month - Watford","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-09-22T20:23:37+00:00","dateModified":"2017-09-22T20:23:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#\/schema\/person\/1996edfac08552850d60dba72537026e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/government-must-not-press-ahead-universal-credit-next-month\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The government must not press ahead with Universal Credit next month"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/","name":"Watford","description":"Citizens Advice Watford","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#\/schema\/person\/1996edfac08552850d60dba72537026e","name":"Catherine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d2c78c842fbb7a2cb0a2d85f9cae5a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d2c78c842fbb7a2cb0a2d85f9cae5a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Catherine"},"url":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/author\/asm\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32170"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32170"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32171,"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32170\/revisions\/32171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cawatford.org.uk\/internal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}