Universal Credit is officially a shambles

Universal Credit was an ambitious project combining six benefits together. It was intended to encourage the unemployed to accept jobs by making the transition into work easier.
But it’s really been a disaster, both for the recipients and for the Government.

Nearly four million people in the UK have used a food bank, new figures have revealed. A poll commissioned by The Independent found that one in fourteen Britons has been forced to use the services because of “shocking levels of deprivation”. Similar numbers of people have also been forced to “skip meals and borrow money” with austerity measures leaving them “penniless”. The poll also found that around 7 per cent of the population have used a food bank, and that a million people have “decreased the portion size of their child’s meal” because of problems with money.

Benefit changes” and “benefit delays” were both cited as reasons for the figures.

Read more at: inews.co.uk/news/food-bank-figures/

And it may well be more expensive than the system it is replacing.

Surprise, surprise!!

What worries me even more is the immediate blinkered response of the government - to deny it!

I was just about to post the same news.

The I's headline is "Welfare Shambles - flagship benefit introduced to save taxpayers' money now costs four times more than projected to administer. Scathing National Audit Office report says universal credit inflicts debt and hardship o. Official surveys showtwo out of five claimants suffer financial difficulties."

This government is incompetent. Many people have warned that saving costs in the short term will, in the longer term, turn out to be more expensive. This is just one of many, many examples of the inability of this government to manage anything efficiently - or to have any regard for people who are experiencing difficulties. It is a national disgrace.

It’s a relief we’re not expecting this bunch of numpties to sort out anything important...

It’s never good to be proved correct about such important issues. I don’t know anyone at the coal face who ever thought UC was anything but a cruel disaster.
Crystal tips, great comment (sadly).
I we believed in Conspiracy Theories, we may almost believe the Brexit disaster was planned to keep us all focussed on anything but the national disgrace masquerading as our government.

I am fortunate enough not to have to claim benefits so don't know much about it - however I am confused as to why people were not paid their existing benefits until their universal credit has been sorted out.

The so-called government turns its back on the real problems in this country. They are too busy fighting amongst themselves over brexit.

They should forget b...y brexit and start doing their job which is to govern the country in the interests of all of its citizens - including the poor fools who were deluded into voting for brexit but are now needing foodbanks.

Could well have imagined it, but did anyone else hear today on the radio that UC has so far cost over £1 billion to roll-out?

Rather like the many billions that were wasted on the failed, and presumably discarded, NHS software system.

How do you spend BILLIONS??

The trouble is most of them have no idea what it would be like to be without money for weeks or months. If it should happen to them they could look to Daddy for help or move in with well off friends, or perhaps sell off or rent out their holiday home or sell one of the cars. The idea of actually having no other means of support is completely beyond them

I think you’re right Deedaa.
Some people think unemployment, disability, homelessness is somehow caused by moral failings, a culture of benefit dependency, or poor foresight so it could never happen to them, and if it did family and friends would come to the rescue.
Surely most people of working age are just an accident or an illness or a redundancy away from needing the help of the welfare state?

Well said mostlyharmless! Disability & marriage breakup hit me very hard when my son was still at school. I had to give up my job I had worked hard for & rely on benefits. I was called nasty names several times & relied on charity shops for clothes to get my son through school & college. Money was very tight & very often was not paid on time so it is very easy to become one of the lowest of the low. Keeping the house was hard too though I made the mistake many years later of selling it I did keep a roof over my sons head! Life on benefits is not easy for the majority!

I know of three, you G, hardworking couples hit badly by this shambles. Not being able to cover your high rents and bills for weeks or even months causes real hardship and crippling anxiety and in one case homelessness.

Nightmare. But then the old benefits system is a nightmare too.

Makes me very sad to be a Brit when this is how we treat the vulnerable.

I quote from a Housing Trust Officer:
"Vulnerable clients, already struggling with disability or mental health issues, are now suffering with anxiety as they juggle the various issues around universal credit and housing benefit. It can be very distressing for staff who want to help, but are unable to, through no fault of their own."

We need a better and more caring society. Capitalism doesn't just have an ugly face - it IS an ugly face!

We need mass council house building, rent controls, and a reverse to all cuts to benefits and public services, so they are properly run and accessible to everybody.

I feel like you Hm999 feel thoroughly ashamed of how we are treating the vulnerable people in society. I cannot go into town these days without passing at least 6 homeless people. There are several that live under a canopy around a nearby church.
They are not all druggies or alcoholics either, rang in age from about 20 to elderly and both male and female.
A lady I know of who is in her early 60s cannot get a job or receive any pension yet and had to choose between food for herself or getting her pet treated at the vets as she couldn’t get any free treatment.
I have never known a more uncaring government than we have now.

Varian How on earth did the likes of myself and thousands of others manage to buy our own property, yes even with sky high mortgage rates, feed ourselves and children without the need for food banks before our government decided we would be even better off in the EU.??? What a laugh ?Not for those of the 21C however who can't afford to buy a property even though interest rates have never been so low ,people are living on the streets, having to resort to food banks to feed their children ?Businesses closing down that gave jobs to thousands ?There are now people in the UK far worse off than their grandparents ever were. What a grand life we are living.

So many mistakes have been made by a series of incompetent governments.

The EU didn't sell off our council housing, destroy our manufacturing industries, sell off utilities ( many bought by EU companies) reduce taxes for the wealthy, slash welfare benefits, introduce PFI, reduce spending on public services amongst many other things. I'm sorry but many of the ills of our society are our own ( successive ) government's making.

The UK is shackled to the EU which is costing us billions each year. We get very little benefit from it other than them telling us, ie our government, what to do!. Not what you would call over the years a success which is why the UK now finds itself deeper in the hole it dug for itself.

The EU didn’t tell us to do all of the above.

Totally agree CrystalTips and others who have posted on this thread. Not just the benefits system and social housing, but elderly care, rail services and the nhs are all in meltdown.

And Heaven help us all, the opposition don't seem to offer a realistic respite. What a complete and utter shambles!

To bring us back to topic- the EU did not introduce universal credit.

Doing advisory on this through CAP (Christians Against Poverty) what is happening throughout the welfare system is disgusting from assessors for ESA and PIPS blatantly lieing and rushing assessments to get their bonuses in. Dispatch last year did undercover on this. It was horrific what is happening. It's not just an odd case. Much more than that. Its not just an occasional one.

U.C young peopke or an other who is homeless cant claim u.c has that is what they have to claim if they no proof of who they are. People must be computer literate. Not all or have one. That means they have to spend there time at the offices getting help to fill the online forms in.

From the beginning and still is the software in the u.c site doesn't work properly. When you get to verify online who you are it doesn't work. Stressed out people don't know what to do and ring u.c when they can get through to be told "oh we know it doesn't work. You will have to come in for an appointment"

WTF they don't take it off the system and tell you to ring to make a verification appointment God knows.

U.C has solved nothing nor bought costs down and added to people's worries especially those who are ill

The vilification of the sick and disabled since this shower came to power is disgusting and the U.N have told told them after repeated enquiried they are breaking the law. The government take no notice