Flaws In Universal Credit System Leaving Vulnerable People Penniless

Design flaws in the universal credit (UC) system are leaving vulnerable claimants hundreds of pounds in debt and dependent on food banks, according to a study by a group of Citizens Advice offices. The main cause of difficulty is a built-in delay to UC which requires claimants to wait at least 42 days before receiving a benefit payment. This has left some claimants penniless, stressed, forced to borrow cash to pay rent or utility bills and struggling to buy food. The system is also dogged by computer processing errors, poor communications with claimants, and delays in fixing simple administrative problems. The study says that although UC assumes claimants are paid monthly in arrears half of low paid workers are paid weekly, meaning they must last for six weeks on a single week’s money. Read more on the Guardian website.