REBECCA NASH – WRITTEN EVIDENCE (EUC0026)

The economics of Universal Credit
 

Dear Parliament,

1 Universal credit has clearly not met its original objectives it has been continually pushed back for several years now with failings from the various members of staff including the only online application process which people find confusing the 5 week plus wait for payments which has pushed thousands into severe poverty 

2 The original objectives have not been met with thousands suffering daily, the 5 week wait needs review the lack of understanding and empathy from staff in the job centre, the need for food banks has increased greatly.

The transition from the original benefit system to universal credit is a poor and the lack.of help and understanding for disabled people is more than poor

3 I see no positive effects with regards to universal credit I can list several negative effects 

The 5 week wait 

The increased need for food banks 

The amount of debt people have incurred while waiting for a 1day initial payment 

The lack of empathy and understanding for the disabled community 

The lack of knowledge from job centre staff with regards to universal credit 

The fear it has instilled into people with loving from the old benefit system to the new version 

The failings from day 1 made by the government 

The continued push back with the dates by the government for a full roll out of universal credit 

The deaths incurred while waiting for a payment

The work capability assessment and not accepting doctors reports and the DWP making their own conclusion base on a GPs opinions 

4 For what we hear and see I feel no one has benefited from the new system people are struggling every day and there seems to no clear understanding with the new system and the sanctioning process is past necessary 

5 I feel there is no clear understanding on how the world of being in a 0 or low hour contract reflects against universal credit and that due to the world of the working has changed dramatically from previous years the government state that more people are in work than previous years however these are not secure jobs and are mainly 0 hour contracts where the claimants have no clear understanding whether they are working from one week to the next . The stress this causes on the claimant is beyond comprehensible. Myself personally I'm disabled and self employed and petrified moving from the old system to the new and when reading about transitioning it's a complete minefield and I have no clue how I will cope I have multiple sclerosis but push myself to work because I want to however on petrified that if I've been unable to work how will this reflect and will I be told to get a 2nd job which I cant physically manage.

This is far from adequate.

6 This should just be scrapped it has been flawed from the get go and proven so by the continued push back on dates the fact several ministers in the role of dealing with this have resigned. The lack of understanding of what people are actually going through and the comments and opinions made by the current minster is appalling. It is proven that people in the working world are equally if not more suffering than people not working the excessive increase in food banks the list is endless however as stated you require short submissions on the matter 

I do hope you seriously take the views and submission by the people that have taken part in your request as there truly has to be a change as people are suffering and I’m a person petrified as to what will happen when I have to cross over.

Kind regards

Rebecca Nash

25 February 2020