Local MP, Greg Hands, has welcomed the Government’s welfare system reforms being rolled out to Fulham.
Following the successful roll out of Universal Credit in the north-west of England and in Hammersmith, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now begun the first and second tranches of the national expansion of Universal Credit to local authorities and Jobcentre areas. The reformed welfare system went live at Fulham Jobcentre Plus on 16th February 2015.
The Government’s new Universal Credit system will replace the current complex system of benefits and ensure that it always pays to work. Universal Credit will roll out to new claims from single people, who would otherwise have been eligible for Jobseeker’s Allowance, including those with existing Housing Benefit and Working Tax Credit claims. Under the new system, benefit will be withdrawn gradually as claimants start work or increase their earnings, meaning their total income goes up.
MP for Chelsea and Fulham, Greg Hands, said: “Universal Credit is a major reform that will transform the welfare state in Britain, making three million people better off, and bringing £33 billion in economic benefits to society. At the heart of Universal Credit is a belief that work should always pay.
“Labour left behind a welfare system that failed to reward work and trapped people in poverty. Hardworking taxpayers lost trust in the system because it created a 'something for nothing' culture. Reforming the welfare system is a key part of our long-term economic plan to secure a better future for Britain.
“Rightly for a programme of this scale, the Government's priority continues to be its safe and secure delivery. The controlled expansion of Universal Credit started in April 2013 and I am pleased that significant progress has been made to date. I am encouraged that Universal Credit began its nationwide roll out, starting in our local area on 16 February, and that it will be rolled out to all Jobcentres in the country by Spring 2016. Once fully rolled out, estimates show that Universal Credit will boost the economy by £7 billion every year.
“The new system is already proving to be more successful than the benefits system operated by the last Labour government. I also think that it is positive that people claiming Universal Credit are 13 per cent more likely to find work than people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, therefore earning more money and more willing to take a job.”
Although the system is new, and still not fully rolled out across the country, early evidence shows it is more successful than the benefits system operated for 13 years under the last Government. A new report, Universal Credit at Work – spring 2015, and accompanying research have been published showing that Universal Credit claimants over the four month period are 13 per cent more likely to have been in work than those on Jobseeker’s Allowance and likely to be earning more money.
Similar to previous findings, the report also confirms that new Universal Credit claimants in the expanded sites are more likely than Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants to believe the benefit system is encouraging them to find work; more likely take any job they are able to do; and more likely spend more time looking for work.
Full information on the new Universal Credit system is available at the DWP website:
www.gov.uk/universal-credit-toolkit-for-partner-organisations