North west Universal Credit expansion
20 Jun 2014 12:50 PM
Universal Credit, the
government’s flagship welfare reform, will expand rapidly throughout the
rest of 2014.
The new service, which is
already available in 10 areas across England, Scotland and Wales, will continue
with its roll out across the north west of England from Monday (23 June
2014).
Universal Credit will roll out
to Jobcentres in the north west until the whole region is covered. In total 90
Jobcentres, or 1 in 8 Jobcentres in Britain, will offer the service once the
north west expansion has been completed.
Claimants will benefit from
better work incentives under Universal Credit. People are able to move in and
out of work more smoothly, and Universal Credit gives Jobcentres instant access
to HMRC earnings data so they can make sure people are receiving the
right amount of support to progress in work.
In areas where Universal Credit
in not yet available, jobseekers are already benefiting from other aspects of
the cultural transformation it brings, as part of the government’s
long-term economic plan, including:
- a new contract between the
claimant and the state through the Claimant Commitment, which is now deployed
nationwide
- a shift from simply checking
claimants to coaching them to achieve the best employment outcomes – we
have trained 26,300 work coaches to support and motivate claimants in this
regard
- the introduction of the latest
technologies in modern digital Jobcentres to support enhanced jobsearch
activity, with national rollout under way and set to reach all Jobcentres by
the autumn
Secretary of State for Work and
Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, said:
Universal Credit is already
changing lives: we are seeing claimants spending more time looking for jobs and
moving smoothly into employment safe in the knowledge that it will always pay
more to be in work. This gives them security and hope for their
children.
The continued rollout of the
Universal Credit means more people will benefit from this transformation of the
welfare state
By simplifying the mess of
benefits and tax credits we inherited, and by improving work incentives, we are
ending the something-for-nothing culture and creating a system that is fair for
those who seek to work and fair to the taxpayer.
On Monday, 4 more Jobcentres
will offer the new benefit:
- Hyde
- Stalybridge
- Stretford
- Altrincham
The latest figures up until
March, 2014 showed 6,550 people had claimed Universal Credit. Of these,
consistently more than 90% are making their claim online.
Petra Kelly, External
Partnerships Manager for Blue Arrow, said:
The current system of benefits
and tax credits can be confusing for people. What companies don’t want
are people who are eager to work turning down the opportunity for extra hours
because they are worried about what it might do to their benefit
entitlements.
By removing the complexity in
the system, Universal Credit will make it easier for employees to increase
their hours in work and move forward in their careers.
The rollout to the north west of
England is part of the expansion plan that was set out in December, 2013.
Shortly we will announce that we are extending the service to couples, meeting
our commitment to expand Universal Credit geographically and to more claimant
types.
More
information
A commencement
order was laid this week setting out details of expansion in June and
July.
Jobcentres will come on line as
follows:
June 23: Hyde, Stalybridge,
Stretford and Altrincham
The next areas to follow will
be: Southport, Crosby, Bootle, Bolton (Great Moor Street), Bolton (Blackhorse
Street), Farnworth, Birkenhead, Bromborough, Hoylake, Upton, Wallasey, Preston,
Leyland, Prestwich, Bury, Eccles, Worsley, Huyton, Kirkby, St Helens,
Newton-le-Willows, Chester, Congleton, Crewe and Wilmslow.
Contact Press
Office
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release – 0203 267 5134
Press Office
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Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9NA
London Press Office (national
media and London area enquiries only – not questions about personal
claims)020 3267 5144
Out-of-hours (journalists
only)076 59 108 883
England and Wales (local media
enquiries)029 20 586 then 097or 098 or 099
Scotland (local media
enquiries)0131 310 1122
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