Even as we did our bit for the national protest against Universal Credit on Wednesday, we encountered yet more problems with the ‘benefit’. Kylie, who has a young child, had just discovered that she had been wrongly moved onto Universal Credit. People on Income Support have to start looking for work when their youngest child is 5. In Universal Credit this has been lowered to 3, so what benefit you are on makes a big difference. But Kylie had been told that although the mistake was made by the DWP, it could not now be undone and she had to live with it. We urged her to go to the Shelter community Hub drop-in or see her MP to get the decision appealed.

People on existing benefits should not be moved to Universal Credit until at least July 2019 unless they have a change in circumstances that affects their benefits, but the Jobcentre seems extraordinarily keen to encourage people to make that change. We talked with a couple of folk now on JSA who had been told to apply to be classed as too ill for work. This now has to be done as part of Universal Credit, so people may want to think twice about making such an application, unless they feel reasonably confident of actually being found unfit to work at a Work Capability Assessment. Once you are in the Universal Credit system in a Universal Credit Full Service area there is no going back. (As we observed earlier, there are still possibilities for escaping in other areas.)

Rachel was already classed as unfit for work and had been receiving ESA. She had also been homeless, and when she had found somewhere to live and needed to get help with the rent she had been forced to apply for Universal Credit instead. She is now having to wait the five plus weeks until her first payment, and she has also been asked to supply a doctor’s line, which seems unnecessary since nothing has changed with her disability. Although Rachel cannot read or write, she is still having to manage her Universal Credit claim on the computer, and her partner has been told to help her check this weekly. Of course she would need help with any form of written communication, but having to be accompanied to a computer adds a further layer of complication.

Thanks to all who came to the protest. We got a fair number of leaflets handed out while Tony gave it laldy on the loud hailer. This was a national day of action called by DPAC, who made their presence felt down in Westminster.

In the Courier and Evening Telegraph