UNIVERSAL STRUGGLE
Disabled man given just 1p Universal Credit to live on over Christmas
Neil Wright, 50, normally receives £284 a month from the Government because his acute arthritis has left him unable to work
A DISABLED man was left with less than £1 to live on over Christmas after receiving a Universal Credit payment of just 1p.
Neil Wright, 50, who suffers from arthritis, usually receives £284-a-month from the Government to help with living costs but he has no idea why his payment turned into a bank deposit of just a penny.
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He received the penny payment on December 14, 2018, and he is not due another until January 14, 2019 - leaving him with less than a pound to buy food with.
Former taxi driver Neil, of Plymouth, Devon, said: "I've got 25p in my pocket and about 52p in the bank. I had some savings but used them to buy Christmas presents.
"It's all confusing. I can't make head nor tail of it. I got my bank statement and checked it and there's 1p of Universal Credit on it. They've offered me 1p to live on."
The Government's flagship scheme replaces six benefits with one monthly payment, including Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and Working Tax Credit.
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But it has been riddled with serious issues which is why The Sun has launched a campaign to Make Universal Credit Work.
Neil said he has been relying on "savings" to live on since receiving his last Universal Credit payment of £284 on November 14.
In November, Neil also received a £163.98 in Employment Support Allowance (EESA) payment - a disability benefit he was told that he was not entitled to but was issued to him anyway by mistake.
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Payments that have been wrongly issued outside Universal Credit are deducted from the monthly benefit.
But Neil claims that even if that payment had been deducted from his December Universal Credit payment he would still be out of pocket.
Claimants can also apply for an advance loan to cover them during the up to five week wait before receiving their first payment.
But the loan will need to be repaid within 12 months in instalments, which are deducted from the monthly Universal Credit payment.
The Sun wants to Make Universal Credit Work
Universal Credit replaces six benefits with a single monthly payment.
One million people are already receiving it and by the time the system is fully rolled out in 2023, nearly 7 million will be on it.
But there are big problems with the flagship new system - it takes 5 weeks to get the first payment and it could leave some families worse off by thousands of pounds a year.
And while working families can claim back up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, they must find the money to pay for childcare upfront - we’ve heard of families waiting up to 6 months for the money.
Working parents across the country told us they’ve been unable to take on more hours - or have even turned down better paid jobs or more hours because of the amount they get their benefits cut.
It’s time to Make Universal Credit work. We want the government to:
- Get paid faster: The Government must slash the time Brits wait for their first Universal Credit payments from five to two weeks, helping stop 7 million from being pushed into debt.
- Keep more of what you earn: The work allowance should be increased and the taper rate should be slashed from from 63p to 50p, helping at least 4 million families.
- Don’t get punished for having a family: Parents should get the 85 per cent of the money they can claim for childcare upfront instead of being paid in arrears.
Together, these changes will help Make Universal Credit Work.
Join our or email [email protected] to share your story.
It's not clear whether Neil took out an advance payment, but if he did, it could explain why he received such a small amount.
Neil said he turned to the Jobcentre to find out what happened to his money but was told he had to wait until receiving the next benefit payment.
Divorced Neil, who has six grown-up children, said he is trying to get a job despite his painful condition which means that he hasn't been able to work for 12 years.
"I should not be at work," he added. "But I'd rather be at work than stuck on Universal Credit."
Neil worked for years as a taxi driver before developing arthritis in his lower back, neck and shoulders. He also suffers from asthma and is on antidepressants.
A DWP spokesperson said: "We're looking into the details of this case. Universal Credit is a force for good for the vast majority and is helping people get into work faster and stay in work longer."
MAKE UNIVERSAL CREDIT WORK
Working families on Universal Credit could be £100 a month - or £1,200 a year -better off - if ministers implemented the changes that The Sun campaign is calling for, experts have said.
The flawed system has left thousands of hard-up Brits, penniless and even suicidal.
Single dad Trevor Carpenter has been forced to live on £75 a week Universal Credit after becoming the sole carer for his three-year-old son overnight, even though he had no idea he was a father.
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