Bernadette Hewitt today called on the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to take immediate action on five fronts, including ending the five-week wait for a first Universal Credit payment.

Her plea has been supported by all of the other Registered Social Landlords in Wheatley Group: Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership, Dunedin Canmore, Cube, Loretto Housing, Barony Housing and West Lothian Housing Partnership.

“As vulnerable people all over the country know only so well, Universal Credit has been the single biggest overhaul of the welfare system in living memory,” said Mrs Hewitt, a mother of five children living in a GHA house in Barmulloch.

“It is simply beyond belief, as the world is being turned upside down by coronavirus, that people are having to endure the injustice and hardship created by many cruel aspects of this new welfare system.”

Bernadette added: “The UK Government needs to address the additional suffering and hardship Universal Credit is causing through this pandemic. Urgent and radical action is need now.”

Last year, Wheatley set up a task force to tackle the impact of Universal Credit on thousands of its vulnerable tenants across the country.

Chief executive Martin Armstrong revealed the task force, including 22 welfare benefits advisors working from home, had assisted 3300 people claim Universal Credit in the first seven weeks of the pandemic - almost twice as many as normal.

He said: “Universal Credit’s impact during this crisis has escalated hugely as families - many for the first time in their lives - struggle with issues ranging from poverty and unemployment to social exclusion.” 

In her letter to the UK secretary of state for work and pensions, Therese Coffey MP, Mrs Hewitt calls for:

• an end to the five-week wait people moving on to UC have before a first payment is made, and particularly for those who have to make several claims in a year and, therefore, face multiple five-week waits;
• financial protection for people moving on to UC from “legacy” benefits, such as Income Support and Jobseekers’ Allowance, to prevent a potential sudden drop in income;
• the housing costs element of UC (or rent) to be paid direct to landlords as the default option;
• no further suspensions of third-party deductions, such as arrears on utility bills or rent or court fines, helping vulnerable people to get back on their feet and sustain their tenancies;
• and promotion of partnership working through re-instatement of the Scottish and UK-wide landlord forums.

“The five-week wait for a first payment is a prime example of how cruel Universal Credit can be,” added Mrs Hewitt. “How anyone can expect vulnerable families, who often have nothing to fall back on, go without financial assistance for sometimes up to three months at any time, never mind during a pandemic, is simply beyond me.”

Mr Armstrong has urged the DWP to re-engage with landlords. “It made no sense to suspend the landlord forums in place,” he said. “Surely the feedback, information and knowledge being shared are invaluable, particularly in these unprecedented times.”

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