Citizens Advice sees steep rise in enquiries about Universal Credit

THE charity Citizens Advice is expecting thousands of Londoners to fall into debt and face issues with housing in the months ahead – and is already seeing a big increase in enquiries about Universal Credit as many more people make claims.

Its 3,400 branches across the country have closed since the coronavirus lockdown began and the charity’s interactions with clients are all happening online and by phone.

Right now they are busier than ever with enquiries from people who, for the first time, are seeking help about how to navigate the welfare system.

Shirley Springer, chief executive officer of Westminster Citizens Advice, anticipates a sharp increase in people looking for help with debt and housing.

She said: “With all the provision the government has put in place recently, people are not really thinking about their debt commitments,” she said, adding that enquiries about debt have nearly halved while enquiries about Universal Credit have gone up.

“We expect this [debt] to rise dramatically once the Covid-19 crisis is over, and the government’s protective measures are no longer in place.

“Also, we expect our enquiries around housing and homelessness issues will increase too, for rent arrears and possession action and the like.

“People know that landlords can’t evict them for now, but creditors will soon start taking action and people will need more advice.”

Given that nearly a million people applied for Universal Credit in the last two weeks of March, it is unsurprising that residents in the capital are similarly looking for help.

Westminster CA said 36% of all enquiries are now about Universal Credit, up from 20%.

Enquiries about employment advice have more than tripled from 4% to 13%.

Ms Springer said: “One thing that’s changed dramatically is our Universal Credit Helpline.

“It went live in Westminster about 18 months ago, but we have seen a jump since the coronavirus crisis started.

“A lot of new claims have been brought about by employment changes, with contracts being terminated.

“All sorts of things have triggered new Universal Credit claims.”

She also emphasised that Citizens Advice works with Westminster Council to help people find work and volunteer opportunities to develop their skills.

“We work with the council to help people into work,” she said.

“We look for opportunities for people to do as a stop gap that might help them into a different career path.

“More people are going to be looking for work because some companies just won’t survive this.”