Brits spend £6.5million ringing Universal Credit helpline between April and September
BRITS have spent a whopping £6.5million ringing the Universal Credit helpline in just five months – it was claimed last night.
Staggering figures reveal there were 4.2million calls to the welfare scheme’s 0345 advice number between April and September.
The Government said that on average claimants spent 11 minutes 46 seconds on the phone – including 4 minutes waiting in a queue.
Campaigners claimed that with an average landline fee of up to 12p – phone companies have raked in around £6.5million from some of the poorest people in the country.
Lib Dem Work and Pensions spokesman Stephen Lloyd said: “These figures should shame the Government.
“The Department is cashing in on its own failure.
“These rip-off charges cannot continue any longer.”
Labour’s Frank Field said the figures defied belief. “The sheer number of people having to call shows you that Universal Credit is just not working,” he said.
He will once more call for a pause in the rollout of UC in a backbench Commons debate on Thursday.
Pensions Secretary David Gauke last month vowed to scrap the charges by the end of November after an outcry over the fees.
Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn revealed some callers faced charges of up to 55p a minute.
Mr Gauke at the time insisted the department wanted to make the process of contacting advisers as burden free as possible.
The announcement came as up to 25 Tory MPs were threatening to rebel over the policy - which sees six previous benefits rolled up into one.
A Department of Work and Pensions spokeswoman insisted it was free for “many people” to ring the helpline as part of their telephone package.
She was unable to estimate how many people escaped a charge in this way.
