Christmas is coming – but DWP delays mean your Universal Credit payment may not be
Thousands of families could be facing debt – and possibly homelessness – this Christmas because of the Conservatives’ hated so-called “benefit”, Universal Credit.
Rules enforced by the Department for Work and Pensions mean people who are ordered to apply for Universal Credit after this week will face a five-week wait for payment.
This would put them in debt ahead of Christmas – December 25.
Take North Wales as an example. Community Housing Cymru (CHC), the membership body for housing associations in Wales, released shocking figures released revealing that 73% per cent of housing association tenants in North Wales claiming UC are in rent arrears.
The average amount owed is a staggering £585.
Data for Wales as a whole shows 84 per cent of housing association tenants claiming UC owe an average of £556 on their rent.
The figure is more than double that owed by tenants receiving Housing Benefit through the old system, according to CHC.
And the Tories tell you they have made improvements to the system.
Food bank use among people claiming Universal Credit has increased over the past six months – so there will be no turkey, mince pies or presents for them!
Many could apply for an advance Universal Credit payment, but this is a loan that will then be deducted from future payments, meaning they’ll lose up to 30 per cent of future UC payments until it is paid off.
The lack of cash may even force some claimants – mostly women – into “survival sex” work, otherwise known as prostitution.
The Tories won’t care. When then-Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey heard about this scandal – years ago – her only comment was that “perhaps there are other jobs on offer”.
She is the Tory candidate for Tatton so I advise anybody who lives there to vote Labour instead.
Labour itself is planning to pilot Universal Basic Income (UBI) schemes in which everybody would receive a basic amount to cover their living expenses, with no poverty-inducing wait.
But that won’t happen unless a Labour government is elected.
What are you going to do?
Source: Delays in Universal Credit payments risk leaving families in Christmas debt hell – North Wales Live
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Whilst I agree with your article and the points you raise I have to say that at my local foodbank we are inundated with mince pies at Christmas, so no shortage of those, but no turkeys, though we do get plenty of stuffing! And other things such as large tins of ham and Christmas puddings, etc. Still, not a very nice prospect to face Christmas feeding your kids on foodbank donations. For those who volunteer at the foodbank Christmas is the busiest time of year and a lot of hard work goes into feeding people as all the donations have to be received, unpacked, checked, sorted, stored, transported, distributed. It’s a mammoth task.
It’s the only way to get rid of the universal credit and get rid of the conservatives for once and for all is by voting labour that is the only party who cares about the poor and the NHS if the conservatives win we can all say goodbye to the NHS because that will be included for any trade deal with the USA Boris can lie as much as he wants and deny it but he has not answered the question what was put to him ( why has there been secret meetings what involve the NHS ) he refused to answer and that question came from a whistle blower inside the conservatives about the secret meetings this country never had foodbanks or homeless problems like we have now. I was made homeless after my relationship broke down even when 3/4 of her house was mine what I took with me when I moved in with her after I gave up my own house and she now refuses to even give me anything back at all including my clothes but luckily for me iam not sleeping in a hostel or on the streets iam 47 and back living at my mams I check the housing website every week but non is available what I need that’s because no social housing has even been built under the conservatives and non will get built so the homeless problems will get higher each day and each week so the answer to solve it is vote labour.
So you want a I.R.A Sympathiser running our country, a guy who would hesitate to push the button? In a Nuclear strike?
A Government who say they now want Brexit but a week ago they didn’t but 3 mths ago they did? Your joker.
But still this Country is joke so your fit in well
Who’s this IRA sympathiser Ricky is on about? I bet he can’t produce any evidence to support this nonsense.
As for guys who would hesitate to push the nuclear button, I think that’s exactly the kind of leader we need – not some crazed psychopath who would consign billions to armageddon for their own personal aggrandisement. Still, if Ricky wants a peacenik to criticise, he might consider Edward Heath, who instructed the captains of the UK’s nuclear subs to sail to Australia or New Zealand in the event of a nuclear conflagration, and start a new life.
Ah, but then Heath was a Tory, wasn’t he? It wouldn’t suit Ricky’s narrative.
“IRA Sympathiser”? Not sure what you mean by that strange remark Ricky. So who do you want running our country, a Poundshop Fascist like Farage, or posh Upper Crust Gangsta Capitalists like Boris and Rees Mogg?
Are you kidding….vote labour…no chance!!! He would have the country on its knees in a couple of years….he is dangerous….even his own party dont like him….stroll on GE…when labour are wiped out!!!!
In fact this is one of the more rational anti-Labour comments I’ve seen since the general election campaign started.
In the words of a certain national rag: Phew! What a loony!
In case you haven’t noticed, Dawn, the country already IS “on its knees” after nearly a decade of Tory mis-rule. One and half Million people using foodbanks, homelessness rising, poverty off the scale, over 50,000 deaths due to Welfare reforms, Councils broke, NHS run on a shoe string, public transport a joke…need I go on?
Not only are the rent arrears a huge nightmare, but there’s the more immediate issue for those facing this insane 5 wk wait, it’s winter. How does anyone keep their gas and electricity meters topped up with no money? Bearing in mind a higher proportion of this group is going to have prepayment meters
The problem is that much of the electorate will put the cause of Brexit above feeding people who are starving. It has gone beyond a policy now, it is the ultimate in tribalism, the logic has now gone from the argument – on both sides.
Not just Tories but Brexit voting Labour people are forgetting why they even voted Labour in the first place. Add to that the long term campaign to smear Corbyn, which HAS been successful, and you have the perfect storm for a potential Tory majority.
Obviously SOMEONE is worried about Labour’s prospects with the repeated DDOS attacks on Labour’s servers this week. I really DON’T think it’s anything to do with the Tories either officially or unofficially. I have an idea of who would do this. Brexit, even if you are in favour of it, must be recognised as causing at least temporary instability for the country as a whole. This is something that can benefit others. So, to prolong the agony, sow discord (especially within the party most in favour of it) and the process takes longer and ensures we take our eye off the ball in every sense.
In the week when the Tories have decided to hide the investigation into foreign interference in our politics it feels like it’s no coincidence this has happened. Labour’s policy is actually more straightforward to implement than the Tory’s. So Labour are a threat to those who want to interfere, hence the attacks. Boris is the source of fear, uncertainty and doubt – they want him to succeed, and then flail about and cause havoc. If someone said the Russians or Chinese were behind it I wouldn’t be at all surprised. but then if someone said the CIA were behind it I wouldn’t raise an eyebrow either. In fact if the 77th Brigade were involved that wouldn’t shock me either.
The attitude of our intelligence community and press towards Corbyn reminds me of the attitudes they had towards Harold Wilson. I’m reminded of the ‘secret files’ and smears they did. The rumours of a potential coup.
So undemocratic, so much propaganda, lies and cheating feels like we’re in Soviet Russia back in the 70s. Some days democracy feels like an illusion…