"We're expecting a Universal Credit tsunami..." Councillor Boshell
After a stream of councillors slammed the Tory Government's Universal Credit during a meeting of Salford City Council this morning, even Conservative Party councillors voted to support a motion stating that the new benefit system "is flawed and causing unnecessary hardship to local families"...
The motion was brought by two Labour Party councillors, Paula Boshell and Barbara Bentham, and called for Universal Credit roll-out to be "halted until the problems are fixed".
Councillor Boshell spoke of the "unprecedented cuts to benefits" that have been transferred to Universal Credit, and quoted research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies that estimate 2.1million families nationally facing an average loss of £1,600 a year.
She talked of the "seriously complicated process" that meant thirty per cent of people had to call help lines ten or more times to try and sort out claims, and cited Citizens Advice Bureau research showing people waiting up to twelve weeks for their first payments.
Boshell added that Salford has been a Universal Credit pilot area for 4,500 claimants, including families with children... "It includes single parent families who, once the child reached five years of age, had to move from JSA benefit to Universal Credit, meaning they got nothing for six or seven weeks...
"We're expecting a Universal Credit tsunami in June" she added "as all 4,500 claimants have to re-apply, all at the same time..."
She explained that Salford Gateway centres won't have the capacity or resources to cope and concluded by insisting "Universal Credit has caused untold misery for our residents", citing increases in rent arrears, increases in homelessness, health and wellbeing problems, and relationships issues.
Councillor Bentham, who has worked in welfare rights for over ten years and is currently the appeals officer for Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre, said that she'd seen some "horrific situations" but "recently these horrific situations are becoming regular, often daily"...
She gave the example of Jenny, a 26 year single parent who accumulated £800 in rent arrears waiting for her Universal Credit claim, putting her home at risk; and Jack who suffers from mental health problems and has been subject to 'endless sanctions' for missing job centre appointments and failing to provide evidence of 35 hours of work search per week. He is currently pursuing a claim for disability discrimination...
"Universal Credit is so flawed that I have doubts that it can ever be fixed" Councillor Bentham concluded.
Other councillors weighed in with their own examples...Councillor Hamilton told of a young couple who had lost their baby, phoned the job centre to tell them they had to attend the funeral but still got sanctioned...Councillor Stone spoke of her concern that only one nominated person per household can receive Universal Credit and the implications of that when domestic abuse is an issue...
...Councillor Jolly, who worked for thirty years in the DWP, spoke of the IT system handling the new benefit that is "not fit" and "cannot be made to work...the only way forward is to scrap it". And Councillor Kelly told of visiting a night shelter in Salford recently where people cited Universal Credit as the reason they were homeless...
Even Conservative Party Councillor, Iain Lindley, slammed Universal Credit, arguing that while the principle of amalgamating all benefits into one payment was good if working properly, "we haven't got the system right; there's too many things that need to be fixed". Supporting the Labour Party motion, he added that he hoped to see "big changes in the budget next week, particularly with the six week delay..."
All Salford councillors then unanimously voted in favour of the motion.
Meanwhile, upstairs in the public gallery, trade unionists and welfare workers attended to show their support for the motion...
"We are against a lot of the legislation, a lot of the things which the Government has brought against the workers and unemployed people all over the country" said Abdul Al-Malahi, who works and volunteers at the Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre
"In my line of work, in employment law, there are a lot of changes they have brought in which put people into poverty" he added "We have a lot of people coming to us for help and representation. Of course I think it's good that the Council is putting this motion through."
And John Catterall, vice chair of Unite the Community Greater Manchester branch, also slated Universal Credit...
"I was against it since Day One" he said "I don't think it should be introduced; I don't think it's fair, and the only people who seem to be suffering out of all this are the poor in society. And they have to wait six weeks at the present time for payments which is scandalous by anybody's book.
"I'm here to listen to the motion, to support my fellow protesters and to make sure that people, not just in Salford but in others places too, get a fair deal" he added "If this resolution goes any way to scrapping or altering Universal Credit I will be very happy."
See also previous related Salford Star articles:
Universal Credit causing Unnecessary Hardship to Local Families (includes the full text of the motion) – click here
Greater Manchester Petition To Halt Roll-Out of Universal Credit – click here
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