Universal Credit process faster since crisis began
Those in need are getting vital benefit payments despite a record number of applications for Universal Credit.
More payments than ever before are being made on time amid a huge workload that would have knocked the old system “flat on its back”, said director-general of the The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Neil Couling.
The DWP says 93 per cent of claimants were paid on time last week – up from 87 per cent in the week before the lockdown started.
Mr Couling said the digital system had enabled the department to cope with demand despite many staff being off work self-isolating.
Since the Government advised people to stay at home due to Covid-19 the number of applicants for benefits has increased five-fold to around 1.8 million.
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It comes after the number of claims across the Black Country and Staffordshire rose sharply in March, with a further rise expected to be confirmed when regional data is released later this month.
Mr Couling said along with a “massive influx” of claims, the virus had brought additional challenges with one in five staff off work self-isolating and all job centres closed.
He said 10,000 staff had been redeployed from other parts of the DWP, with a new digital system enabling them to process claims from home.
The fact that due to lockdown restrictions claimants did not have to prove they are looking for work had also helped to speed up the process, he added.
“Remarkably, despite all these pressures, the changes we have made – and we’ve made over 20 different process changes within Universal Credit, we are able to pay more people in full, on time, than in our normal times,” Mr Couling said.
He said the current volume of claimants for Universal Credit would have left the old system struggling.
It came as it emerged the number of Universal Credit claimants across the Black Country and Staffordshire had started to rise before the coronavirus lockdown began.
New figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed there were 79,428 claimants in the four Black Country boroughs up to March 12 – a 3.75 per cent rise on the previous month.
And in Stafford, Cannock and South Staffordshire the number of claimants went up to 11,157, a spike of five per cent.
The figures are likely to have risen drastically since then, with Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey saying the DWP has processed more than 1.8 million new claims from individuals up to mid-April.
Last month the Government raised the allowance by £20-a-week.
Anna Stevenson, welfare benefit expert at Turn2us, said: "Millions of people, many completely new to the benefits system, are making claims for Universal Credit due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"While our welfare state is providing some protection, it is creaking round the seams. We urge the Government to eliminate the five-week wait for Universal Credit so people can put food on the table today and avoid the debt trap."
National figures show the biggest increase in claims between February and March was among those aged 60 or over.
Across the Black Country, the number of people aged 60 to 65 on UC increased by five per cent.
Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director, said: "Since the coronavirus outbreak many older workers have lost their jobs and have turned to Universal Credit. Given older jobseekers typically take longer to get back in to work than do younger workers, we need to see an immediate investment in back-to-work support targeted at the over 60s."
A DWP spokesman said: “These are challenging times, but Universal Credit is providing a vital safety net to those affected by the pandemic and we’ve taken action by injecting over £6.5 billion to support people on the welfare system, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor.”
