Written evidence from Name Withheld [UCW0004]

I am writing to you about Universal Credit and the problems people are facing with it

The five week wait to get the first lot of money means people are already in debt by the time they receive it and have no way of repaying it so they either have to use food banks which only gives food for three days, starve or turn to crime.

Next if you find work even part time, they say it pays to work, but by deducting 63 pence of every pound earned off universal credit and not taking into account travelling to and from work, my wife and I were getting £92 per month and expected to live on £594 per month but travelling cost to and from work for my wife is £11 per day and she works five days.

Then when circumstances change ie: getting somewhere to live and you do everything you are asked to do by putting the information onto the system and report to jobcentre with tenancy which was photo copied by the job centre and a month later you check for your statement and nothing showing so rang the DWP up to be told that it had been passed to a decision maker but no one knows why, then get a message to re input the information about tenancy again and make another appointment to show tenancy at another job centre.

We had to pay a months rent in advance and then still waiting for a decision about housing benefit when rent is due again and statement says nothing will be paid so no money to help with travel costs to and from work, and no help with getting an appointment that falls into when not at work and having to wait 5 days for an appointment, so left owing with rent which could lead to either charges been added or at worst eviction.

Then when it comes to our health we can not be ill or eyes need testing as we can not afford the prescriptions, or eye tests, dental treatment or glasses as we earn over £435 per month which means we would need to pay for the basic treatments out of the little money we are expected to live off.

I hope this is helpful to you as I think Universal credit is the worst benefit that there has ever been.

March 2020