OUR POLICY CHANGES
Time to listen and learn…
Universal credit needs to be paid at a level that enables people to meet their living costs including housing.
a) As well as restoring the link between benefits and inflation, increase benefit levels to offset the real term cuts caused by the benefits freeze
b) Improve UC payments by providing consistent payment patterns (including fortnightly payments by default across the UK).
Its time to end the five week wait.
a) Reduce the wait for a first payment to one week
b) Replace advance payments with non-recoverable grants
c) For Northern Ireland introduce a new, universal supplementary payment to offset the five week wait.
Stop Universal Credit Triggering debt
a) Introduce manageable limits to the deductions taken off UC to recover arrears, tax credit overpayments and government advances and loans
b) If advance payments remain, be careful to make clear that these are repayable loans
c) Provide immediate support in a crisis and create nationwide entitlement to discretionary unrecoverable payments to cope with crises.
Make the process of applying for and managing a claim more user friendly
a) Undertake an independent review of the effectiveness of the UC Journal system, to include recommendations for change
b) Provide an accessible guide to navigating a UC claim, which clearly sets out every step of the claim process, all entitlements, conditions of the claim and provides signposts to additional help.
Ensure that all staff delivering Universal Credit are well-trained and that claimants have access to independent advice on their claim.
a) Improve staff training and ensure this includes opportunities to better understand the lived experiences of UC claimants
b) Increase funding so there is wider availability of independent advice for UC claimants, and ensure this is signposted to claimants as part of their claim.
End the cliff edge and ensure that people are aware of the entitlement they have is because of being in Northern Ireland
a) Retain all supplementary payments, and make
sure these are paid automatically and that claimants are made aware of their provision as part of their UC award
b) Introduce a new supplementary payment to offset the two-child limit.
