To ask you to watch Panorama re Universal Credit

[longwayoff]

God, this looks grim already. Look what we're allowing to happen.

People are more bothered about Jeremy Corbyn's anorak than a system that is leaving people in poverty.

Divide and conquer is working

Couldnt agree more bombardier, Corbyn's coat probably up to 11 pages of spittle flecked outrage by now whereas here we are, just you and me, watching what we laughably describe as civilisation being dismantled beneath us. Poor sods on UC, its going to be abysmal and there's nothing we can do. Orwellian.

I haven't seen it but will watch on Iplayer. I live in one of the roll out areas and the devastation it has caused is awful.

It's not on until 10.45pm in Scotland.

UC is AWFUL. But no one seems to give a shit.

I'm going to be moving on to UC at some point and I am terrified. In fact I lost out on a HUGE amount of money over the period of a year because I was scared that claiming it would trigger a move to UC. Turns out it didn't but they won't backdate.

I have terrible anxiety over money and management and it makes me feel sick everytime I think about it.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/3421789-Panorama-The-Universal-Credit-Crisis-Tonight-7-30pm

From the above thread.

FadedRed Mon 12-Nov-18 18:12:55

Does it address the issue of people on UC being unable to get the free prescriptions they are entitled to, and being sent demands for payments of charges and fines because the DSS and the NHS Payments dept haven't managed to get the system right? People who are on UC because of chronic health problems, so more likely to need vital medications are having to choose not taking their medication versus continual harassment by debt collections firms for non payments of charges and fines they should not be liable to in the first place.
Disgraceful.
Add message | Report | Message poster
HelenaDove Mon 12-Nov-18 19:16:12

@FadedRed i saw someone post on fb that they had been charged £300

www.newstatesman.com/politics/welfare/2017/11/universal-credit-flaw-forcing-patients-risk-50-prescription-fine

I help a lot of people with Uc and the type of clients I have , some of them seem to be better off on it as long as everything runs smoothly but it's a case of checking correct elements have been added. It is awful for vulnerable people who don't have access to computers and are not computer literate, it's also complex to try to explain to people. A lot of my clients go onto sick pay and get topped up by UC , it seems to work ok for these people and seems to be easier than the old system whereby they would get topped up with wtc until their sick pay ran out then they would end up with a wtc overpayment , then would need to apply for ESA and housing benefit etc. The problems with Uc seem to stem from the punitive sanctions, rent arrears and the effect of peoples paydays ( particularly weekly and four weekly ) affecting their payments. The job centre staff don't explain things properly to people, you can hang on the phone for an hour trying to sort out problems etc.

Just started watching it

Helena -The advice I have seen given to people regarding the prescription issue has been to tick Box K and write Uc next to it. This hopefully avoids a fine. You would have thought they could have updated the options by now.

YY Babyroobs Its been five years.

Dontwalkaway - if you live in a UC area and you currently don’t have a job, then yes getfing a job would trigger a change. If you are already employed or self employed and just want to get a different job then that wouldn’t trigger a move.

However if you already get child tax credits and get a job which meets the hourly requirments for working tax credits I think it is possible to apply for the wtc element of tax credits rather than go onto UC. So alone parent coming off Income support for example because their child turns 5 can claim wtc if they can find a 16 hour job before their Income support ends. A lot of people are misadvised about this and pushed onto UC unnecessarily.

It really is obscene. The tories seem to delight in causing misery to the working classes.
I hope it spectacularly backfires on them.

Dontwalkaway - don’t believe the jobcentre more like! Problem is once you’re moved over there’s no going back, so if it didn’t work out with the job you’d be buggered. I’m deliberately not making any kinds of changes to hang onto my tax credits as long as possible, in the hope that by then they’ll have realised that UC isn’t working. A girl can dream anyway!

I'm off out for an hour soon. But I'll get it on catch up. Thanks for heads- up!

The whole business about the evictions really got to me. How can they give the most vulnerable people in society access to all that cash and then be surprised when they don’t pay the rent? It’s a recipe for absolute disaster.

This is going to lead to a whole segment of society who would have tried employment, but now don't think it's worth the risk. Why would anyone risk their security for the sake of going to work? People are so terrified of what triggers a change, that they daren't breathe. They are triggering themselves by accident, because the rules aren't well understood.
Single mums are totally screwed by this system. Try and get a job around your child and find it's too hard due to no childcare so have to quit? 5 weeks no money, possible eviction, food banks, no heat or electricity. All for the sake of having tried. Why would you? They've done nothing but trap people, and I hope Ian Duncan Smith gets his comeuppance.

When is it on @longwayoff ?