Tag: universal credit debt

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DWP Hide Details Of Forced Transition To Universal Credit Pilot From MPs

The DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) have once again been found to have covered up data from a forced transition pilot which took place in Harrogate.

Not only have they tried to hide this information from the public they’ve also hidden the details from MPs.

In a report by Benefits and Work it has been revealed that there is evidence of the DWP covering up not only the details of the forced pilot which took place in Harrogate, but also details of their incompetence.

This relates to the forced transition from legacy benefits to UC (Universal Credit). The social security advisory committee (SSAC) has been reported saying to MPs that there is a need for external scrutiny of the worrying process this month.



Steve McCabe MP for Birmingham Selly Oak has disclosed that copies of the Harrogate forced transition pilot report on the Harrogate pilot has been placed in the House of Commons library, after being entirely redacted with the exception of the words ‘Moved to Universal Credit’ and ‘User research’.



The total redaction tells us one thing, the DWP doesn’t want to let MPs know the details of the pilot and what happened. It goes without saying that they don’t want the public to know these details either.



MP Steve McCabe also gave details concerning a constituent who was left in a very bad both physically and mentally leaving the constituent in distress. The DWP reported that she failed to respond correctly to a migration notice despite already being told that she didn’t have a computer at home.

He went on to say that she attempted to phone the DWP but could’t find anyone to speak to. She also sent a letter by recorded delivery at her expense which the department ‘thought’ that they didn’t receive it. This left her without any payments for many weeks.






Benefits and Work went on to report that Charlotte Pickles, a member of SSAC (Social Security Advisory Committee), told MPs that the SSAC believed that some kind of external scrutiny of the ‘scary’ migration process is needed which will then supposedly give people forced to transition confidence that the process will be fair.



She went on to say ‘we are all very aware that for some groups, in particular, UC is quite a scary proposition. If you are sitting on a legacy benefit or you are a tax credit claimant, you possibly, likely, in certain groups, are very nervous and possibly reluctant to make that move to UC.”

After all who can blame them. The DWP are concealing important details not only from MPs but the public as well. The evidence from the Harrogate trial should be provided in an open and transparent way and any failings dealt with before expanding forced migration to Universal Credit.

Concealing evidence such as this will result in a failure of responsibility from the DWP and will undoubtably result in suffering and distress for those forced to move to Universal Credit.

At the time of writing the DWP are still hiding these details and I can’t see them doing so either.





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Lloyds bank Foundation Warns Against Unfair Universal Credit Deductions

The Lloyds Bank Foundation have expressed concerns about the way the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) recovers debts from claimants when they start claiming UC (Universal Credit)

The Foundation have issued a report earlier this month (May 2022) warning that automatic deductions recovered from UC payments are at the time of writing, leaving more than 2 million people already living in poverty, unable to afford basic necessities such as food, gas and electric. This therefore and drives them further into debt and poverty.  

The Foundation report discloses that 44% of all UC claimants have money automatically deducted, the amount averaging £78 a month being taken. It also notes that many Universal Credit claimants are also having much larger deductions taken from their monthly payments.

Amongst the deductions are the advance payments given to UC claimants given to them whilst waiting five weeks for their first payment.

To add to this millions of new UC claimants find that they are unknowingly forced to pay back supposed Tax Credit overpayments that had occurred years earlier which were caused by an official error and no fault of the claimants.  

The Lloyds Bank Foundation have therefore called for historic debts to be stopped and any advance payments changed from loans to grants and affordability checks to automatically be made before any deductions are taken from Universal Credit and other benefits.

It’s doubtful that the DWP will listen to any of the report or making changes based upon its recommendations in the future.

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