Universal Credit is a revolutionary change to the welfare system coming to Brentwood this month. It replaces a large number of different benefit payments for people who are out of work with a single, simplified payment. It also aims to make the world of benefits as similar as possible to the world of work, helping people to prepare for employment. It requires claimants to sign a contract with their Work Coach at the Jobcentre – meaning that even though they are unemployed, they are ‘in work to find work’ – and it pays people on a monthly basis. Crucially, it helps people move into work by slowing withdrawing their benefits as they earn more – rather than taking them away abruptly and so discouraging them from taking work as was the case under the old system.
In some parts of the country, as Universal Credit has been tested, some people have had to wait too long for their first payment. Should anyone struggle as they come onto the system, they can now apply for advance payments which they can pay back slowly over six or nine months. These advances will be offered to new claimants as a matter of routine.
Recently I visited the JobCentre Plus in Brentwood to meet its manager, Laura Anderson, and the Essex District Manager Rick Rhodes. They told me local staff are ready to deliver Universal Credit having undergone extensive training. If you’re moving on to Universal Credit, it’s vital that you talk to your Work Coach about how the process works, and that you let them know if you are falling into difficulty. Equally, if you have serious problems with the system, feel free to contact me through my website www.alexburghart.org.uk and I will raise your case with the Jobcentre and the Department for Work and Pensions.
The good news is that Universal Credit is working. People are moving into work faster and staying in work longer. They are more able to take work and to take more work. This is a good thing for them, a good thing for taxpayers, and a good thing for our country.