CITIZENS Advice Taunton is warning that Universal Credit is putting people’s financial security at risk as they wait six weeks or more for their first payment.

They have seen a ten-fold increase in client queries since Universal Credit full service launched in Taunton in October 2016 and the charity says the numbers will grow as more people move onto the benefit.

Across the country 28 per cent of working age households will be claiming Universal Credit, 54 per cent of who will be in employment.

The benefit will also be claimed by 52 per cent of all families with children in the UK and 58 per cent of households where an adult is disabled or has a long term health condition.

In a major new report - Delivering on Universal Credit - national Citizens Advice has identified a wide range of administrative challenges, including problems with the online system and long waits to get help over the phone, which can make the initial six week wait for payment even longer.

As part of the new study, national Citizens Advice surveyed 800 people who sought help with Universal Credit in areas such as Taunton, where there is full service - meaning anyone who would previously have claimed one of the old benefits now has to apply for Universal Credit.

It finds:

  • 39% of people are waiting more than the 6 weeks it should take to receive their first payment;
  • 11% are waiting over 10 weeks without the benefit;
  • 57% are having to borrow money while waiting for their first payment.

When things go wrong the research shows people are not able to get the help they need - 30% of people said they had to make more than 10 calls to the Universal Credit helpline during their application process, often having to wait over 30 minutes to get through.

The rollout of Universal Credit is set to speed up significantly in October this year.

Citizens Advice Taunton is calling on the government to pause this acceleration and use the time to fix key problems with Universal Credit, before thousands more people are brought into the system.

A spokesman said: "As it stands, many people are facing uncertainty about how much money they will receive and when it will arrive.

"This insecurity filters through to other areas of their lives, for instance making it harder to focus on finding work while they worry about how to keep on top of bills or put food on the table."

The cases seen at Citizens Advice Taunton support the national picture - for example one client was incorrectly refused Universal Credit and had to resort to a credit card to pay for essential household costs for the two months it took to be resolved.

Another client received less than his entitlement due to an error, which caused significant financial hardship - it took seven months and calls to Universal Credit each month for the error to be remedied.

Rhoda Cooke, Welfare Rights Co-ordinator at Citizens Advice Taunton, said: “The principles behind Universal Credit are sound, but a mix of flaws in how the benefit was designed and problems with how it is being delivered is leaving many people’s finances in tatters.

"We’re already helping many people across the Taunton Deane area who are having problems with Universal Credit, and by 2022 if will affect thousands of households in the area.

"If the government doesn’t fix significant problems with Universal Credit then many families across Taunton Deane may be put at financial risk, which can in turn put huge pressure on other local services such as health, housing and social care.

"If anyone does run into problems with Universal Credit, don’t hesitate to contact Citizens Advice Taunton for advice.”

In its new report national Citizens Advice makes a range of recommendations to fix Universal Credit before it is rolled out more widely - view the full copy of the report and recommendations here.