To wonder if there is a Universal Credit tsunami round the corner?

[ArsenicSoup]

I'm sure it was announced at Tory conference that the switch-over was being brought forward to February.

Now I can't find reference to it anywhere. Which is odd. Have they quietly dropped the idea? Or are they scarambling to be (half) ready in time?

The local CAB are advertising for volunteer advisers. I qualified nearly ten years ago while a SAHM and worked paid and unpaid in that area for a while. Work is slow (generally, so I have some spare time) and I can't sleep (tonight) and it's annoying me - are the CAB gearing up for chaos? Do they need the help? Is the coalition really going to push this through?

The thing that everyone seems to have forgotten is that their childcare is usually paid with help from Tax Credits etc...

The quicker EVERYONE realises what's coming the better prepared thay can try to be.

wonder^

Childcare, rent, food...

But yes you're right childcare affects many more people.

Civil servents have warned about this and have always been ignored. Anything to do with benefits are ignored when it comes to the gov. Even the DWP's own figures on fraud are ignored so they can carry on with the stigmatising.

The computer systems have already failed once remember? The whole lot had to be scrapped at a cost of millions. There was an article or an Mner who knows someone working on the systems have said it won't work. They won't cope and it WILL fail.

It's going to be chaos on top of chaos when that happens. Those who are working will be put in a position where they could loose their homes, resulting in more people wanting emergency housing, ergo, more benefits being claimed, more people loosing jobs, more benefits being claimed, the disabled will be made more vunerable...I can not see for the life of me, how this is going to work. Jobs being lost will not be filled in when employers can use zero hour contracts instead (how long before this is used in office work, if not already?), so more benefits being claimed...the back log will get bigger and bigger, ontop of the backlog there is now..

The more I think about it, the more I think "disaster" just isn't going to scratch the surface when it comes to describing it.

So realistically when will families already claiming be affected if it starts with new single claimants (have I got that right?) Will there be a new claim form that existing claimants have to fill out? (we currently claim child tax credits and housing benefit, although this will hopefully change in September)

It's been put back and put back so many times now- the aim is clearly to kick it into the long grass after the GE and quietly manage the damage before then.

Fingers crossed.

I was hoping someone would say that Chunderella. I couldn't work out what I was missing.

No gov't can bring it in on manual processing

We don't know SSS

That another thing I don't think ANYONE has thought about.

If they want it kicking into the long grass, why be so determined to push it through in Feb, before the election? It's not a success, no matter what IDS wants us to believe.

yanbu. IIRC it's being paid a month in arrears, where is everyone going to get their childcare fees from for that first month? I wouldn't have been able to save £800 to pay the nursery fees!

I received a letter yesterday from my council to tell me they are part of a trial of the new computer systems so I am going to have to apply for UC this month. I am dreading it TBH. We get HB WTC & CTC. OH is self employed, and we privately rent. His work is slow atm so if they fuck us over we could be homeless.

Really Fizzy!? Applying this moth for Feb or...?

month^

I'm not sure. Haven't received details yet, this was just an FYI type thing. My council is Sutton, Surrey in case anyone was wondering.

Hopefully the trial areas will be smooth. They will make sure they are.

Just nasty to start all this before Xmas though

Having looked at it again I'm confused! It says Sutton will soon be taking part in a test of the enhanced Universal Credit Digital Service. This means UC will soon be available in the SM5 2 postcode area. Then it goes on to explain what it's replacing and says when the service becomes available you will be expected to make your claim online, but if you are already receiving benefits you do not need to claim UC, you will carry on receiving benefits as usual.

So, I don't need to claim? Why write to me then?

It does say they will write after the 18th with more info, so I will put any more info up here.

I agree about Xmas. It says it will be in nearly 100 jobcentres by Xmas, and rolled out to all JCs and LAs from early next year. I don't see that going well.

Thanks for this thread. Another one fingers crossed hoping the IT failure happens BEFORE there are lots of people dependent on it.

If they do try to implement it, we should do a Food Bank drive on MN.

We should also warn BTL landlords they're likely to see rent delays across all their properties simultaneously.

DH & SIL were recently made redundant. Our area is the old system, SILs area is trialing universal credit. She had a much harder time claiming anything. She was told it would be paid in arrears, and before she received a payment had found employment. She called to sign off and was asked if she wanted to leave her claim open for 6 months in case she needed it, she said no as she had work and that was that. She has now been told she won't be getting any money as she has cancelled her claim. When she complained it was clear she is not the only person this has happened to. It sounds like no one knows what's going on and people are losing out on what they are entitled to as a result.

I'm still paying back a tax credit cock up, I'll be interested to see how that works out?
There's so many variables I can't imagine it will work

I live in Bolton and employ people all over the North West.
UC has already rolled out in Warrington and a couple of months ago Chorley took on UC too.
The employees who have migrated over to UC say they are slightly worse off and there is a big inconvenience with only being paid once a month. I know may employees who are on a high wage only get paid monthly but these are people on low incomes who struggle to make ends meet.
I cannot believe that until DC came along I was a Tory voter. I even distributed leaflets and door knocked for the Conservatives at election time. Never again will I vote for these bastards.

I am dreading it, and what makes it worse is that no one in the job centre/ tax credits seem to know how this is going to effect claimants either.
i am a single working parent and currently claim, tax credits child and working, help with childcare and a small help towards my rent. I am desperately trying to put away a small amount if money (on top of saving for Christmas) as a delay in payment would throw me into chaos, could manage for a couple if weeks, but 6 or so would be a disaster.
I'm lucky to be able to do this, i know of friends that cant or don't understand about the changes and worry that they will be caught out and really struggling