Universal Credits- a new nightmare

Couldn't make it up, could you, maryeliza!

It does not cost 50p a minute to phone 0345 numbers

It depends on the phone you are ringing from. But it's a disgrace there is any charge at all - it should be free

I agree it should be a free phone number but exaggerating the cost makes it difficult to believe other claims made does it not? There is no charge from the CAB

I should have been clearer and said that it can cost up to 50p a minute to ring the UC helpline and that any charge is an utter disgrace.

I didn't see how what CAB charge or don't is relevant though

But what you said annie was equally misleading - you should have said that it doesn't always cost 50p to call an 0345 number so a bit of kettle, pan, black don't you think?

UC is and will continue to be a disaster. Homelessness has already risen by 50% . Paying rent directly to tenants may work in some pie in the sky tory think tank, where the idea is that those on benefits will 'learn to budget'. Even people to have the mental and emotional capacity to budget find themselves out of money and food at times. If you have a choice of buying food and heating, or paying the rent and you've no savings - you don't pay the rent. Yes, its wrong but I'm not convinced I'd pay the rent above feeding my children.
If you're long term low wage/unemployed, you won't have savings. You won't have a food cupboard stocked with essentials, you'll have shopped for that week or the next couple of days.
Rent arrears will increase. Tenants will be evicted, private landlords will suffer because rents will be outstanding. People will be seen as intentionally homeless etc etc.
I'm not his biggest fan but I want to sing OOOh Jeremy Corbyn.

I think that tends to be one of my feelings Iam. We need someone and some policies to balance what is on offer and he is the only solution at the moment. While the government believes there way is the only way I doubt we will hearing anything else.

www.independent.co.uk/voices/universal-credit-has-the-potential-to-wreck-theresa-mays-administration-for-good-a7974651.html

The Independent read your title, trisher.

While UC is a good idea, it does need to be paused in some areas of the country,until more people/technology is in place to deal with it.You cannot leave anyone to cope with no money for months.

I had a very poor upbringing and was taught that the first thing to pay was to 'have a roof over your head' so I do think that rent paying is very important, to avoid homelessness.

It's not about the technology alone - the six week wait is built deliberately into the system because the architects of that system can't believe for one minute that you can't just draw on your savings/ get a bank loan/ extend your overdraft/ask daddy/ draw on your trust fund when your UC doesn't arrive.

the six week wait is built deliberately into the system

It's a valid point. Does anyone know how long it takes in other EU countries? What the average 'processing time' is and what support they put in place? Irrespective of whether the system is right or wrong or the benefits are 'enough' - is this delay something that's happening everywhere or just in the UK.

Does it matter?
You live where you live. The government decides on the system it uses and this Tory government has changed the system, for the worse.

I don't know Primrose. Benefits in many other EU countries are so different from here - basically much more likely to be contribution based rather than means tested and I'd guess that it's the means testing that clearly causes problems - a generous contribution based benefit entitlement can be verified with a few clicks of a computer key.

Does it matter?
Yes, it does. If every other country manages to assess and distribute means-tested benefits faster, then we'd do well to learn from the systems they have in place.

Just having a quick look through random EU countries and the benefits are very familiar and similar to ours. Here's Dutch 'housing benefit' in English holland2stay.com/housing_allowance_info_2016.pdf

It takes an average of 8 weeks to pay but up to 13 weeks. It's only payable for complete calendar months, so you could lose almost a month of rent. If your claim is from 2nd October for example, your entitlement would start 1st November.

So your next bit of research could be to find out how the people with no money to tide them over are dealt with or don't they have anyone in that position Primrose. Very interesting.

Lemon, it would be lovely if everyone had savings they could fall back on but, from what I gather, there are more people than we have had for decades who just can't do that. Aren't we lucky to have been young adults at a time when poverty didn't affect so many. I have to say it would be nice if we didn't have war or illness either but, as I used to be told, if wishes were horses beggars would ride and we have to deal with reality - quite a bit of which our society has inflicted on people rather than them creating for themselves.

It doesn't matter. We do not look at how other countries do with paying other things. It doesn't matter how other countries charge for council tax or income tax. Why should it matter how they pay benefits?
We just need to ensure that our system works for our people.
And it doesn't.

I wonder who invented a system that allows people to be without money for a minimum of six weeks.
And I also wonder how much that company was/is paid for the use of the system.

May had absolutely no answer for it this morning. Simply muttered the usual tautology.

This government hasn't a caring bone in its body

Private sector rent £1.3 million in arrears in Southwark; £1.1 million in arrears in Newcastle.
The system is just not joined up yet.

data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/work-and-pensions-committee/universal-credit-rollout/oral/70211.html

www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/news-parliament-2017/chair-comment-universal-credit-rollout-17-19/

Feank Field's comment.

They have been asked for a Christmas truce but have said no - unless they are going to kindly announce it at the conference?

www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/news-parliament-2017/universal-credit-update/

Paying the rent was always a problem for poor families. I remember my mum talking about people doing a 'moonlight'. Apparently they left the house in the middle of the night with all their belongings on a handcart. Couldn't happen now of course could it?

Not sure about wait for money in France but it is much more difficult to evict people - illegal to do it between November and March - whatever the tenants have done.