universal credit

Benefits and Poverty

June 21, 2018 0

DWP is failing ‘vulnerable’ claimants of universal credit, says watchdog

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is failing to support “vulnerable” claimants and is unable to monitor how they are being treated under its new universal credit benefit system, according to an investigation by the public spending watchdog. The report by the National Audit Office (NAO) raises a string of serious concerns about

Benefits and Poverty

The outside of the Royal Courts of Justice

June 14, 2018 0

DWP in disarray as fresh legal defeat could mean fourth trawl through its records

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) looks set to carry out a fourth major search through its records to find disabled people who have been unfairly deprived of benefits, following the latest in a series of damaging legal defeats. Today (Thursday), the high court ruled that DWP had unlawfully discriminated against two disabled

Benefits and Poverty

People coming out of the Bournemouth International Centre

May 31, 2018 0

TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference: ‘Critically-flawed universal credit must be scrapped’

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Disabled trade unionists have voted overwhelmingly in favour of scrapping the government’s much-criticised universal credit benefits system. A series of speakers at the TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference in Bournemouth (pictured) – attended by disabled delegates from 22 unions – spoke of the damage caused by the rollout of universal credit (UC). And after passing

Benefits and Poverty

May 17, 2018 0

ESA sanctions are counter-productive and dangerous, MPs are told

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Imposing benefit sanctions on disabled people is counter-productive, ineffective and “probably too dangerous”, a trio of experts have told MPs. The Commons work and pensions committee also heard that the failure of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to research the impact of its sanctions regime was “a real dereliction”. And the MPs

Benefits and Poverty

A woman dressed as a crime scene investigator in front of a poster saying universal credit is a crime

April 19, 2018 0

DPAC’s universal credit ‘crime scene’ protest is fresh call for action to disabled people

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Disabled activists are hoping their latest protest in the heart of Westminster will empower other disabled people to follow their lead and fight the government’s social security cuts and reforms. The action by Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), which involved scores of disabled protesters, focused on calls for the government to scrap its new

Benefits and Poverty

March 8, 2018 0

DWP ignores freedom of information laws in bid to hide universal credit impact

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has breached freedom of information laws by refusing to explain how its new universal credit system of working-age benefits will affect disabled people. Campaigners have been warning that the introduction of universal credit will see tens or even hundreds of thousands of disabled people with high support

Activism and Campaigning

A protester holds up a banner saying Disabled People Against Cuts, Rights Not Charity

January 18, 2018 0

DPAC calls national day of action to demand universal credit is scrapped

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Disabled activists are organising a national day of action to push for the government’s new universal credit benefit system to be scrapped. Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) believes that the “punishing” universal credit (UC) regime, which is slowly replacing six working-age benefits, is “rotten to the core”. DPAC says UC is too flawed to

Benefits and Poverty

David Gauke speaking to the party conference, with his picture on the screen behind him

October 5, 2017 0

Tory conference: Gauke’s universal credit silence on debt-ridden disabled people

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The work and pensions secretary has refused to say what he will do to help the hundreds of thousands of disabled people and other benefit claimants left in rent arrears and other debt by the botched introduction of universal credit. Campaigners have been warning David Gauke that the rollout of universal credit is leaving

Benefits and Poverty

A woman in a pink jacket at the conference in Bournemouth

September 21, 2017 0

Lib Dem conference: Universal credit rollout ‘will ruin lives of hundreds of thousands’

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The lives of hundreds of thousands of people will be ruined if the government does not halt its rollout of universal credit, according to a disabled Liberal Democrat MP. Stephen Lloyd, the party’s shadow work and pensions secretary, told this week’s annual conference that the rollout of universal credit was increasing rent arrears and

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