MP draws up plea over credit rollout
APLEA for the Government to pause the roll out of Universal Credit has been considered by Halton Borough Council.
Cllr Andrea Wall of the Kingsway ward in Widnes has proposed a motion which expresses concern over how the benefit has been implemented and the consequences upon families in Halton.
The document which went before councillors on Wednesday, October 18, after the Weekly News had gone to press said ‘many’ people have already turned to Citizens Advice Halton for help with Universal Credit and the charity has said the number will continue to grow as more people claim the benefit.
The motion said: “Since Universal Credit was introduced in Halton the charity has stated it has already helped 710 people with 1,160 problems with the benefit.
“In a major new report – Delivering On Universal Credit – national Citizens Advice has revealed that the requirement to wait for six weeks to receive any payment means people face serious financial insecurity, with many people being forced into debt.”
It replaced six payments including child tax credit, income support, housing benefit, and working tax credit.
The motion said that by 2022 Universal Credit will affect more than 15,500 households across Runcorn and Widnes and across the county one in four households will be claiming it, more than half of which will be in work.
It said the benefit will also be claimed by more than half of families with children in the UK and six out of 10 households where an adult is either disabled or has a long term health condition.
The motion envisages Halton ● Borough Council writing to Work And Pensions Secretary David Gauke to call on the Government to pause Universal Credit’s roll out while difficulties in the time taken to process applications are addressed.
The document said: “This Council believe the financial security of many households in Halton is put at risk as applicants are required to wait many weeks for the first payment of Universal Credit.
“As it stands, many people face uncertainty about how much they will receive and when it will arrive. ●
“This“Thi i insecurityi makesk it ih harderd to focus on finding work and increases worry about how to manage with the care of their families and fund household essentials.”