Margaret Greenwood MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, has written to the Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, to demand the removal of gagging clauses stopping charities from speaking out on Universal Credit, saying: “All civil society organisations… must have the right to speak out about this injustice.” I previously wrote about Citizens Advice and how they cannot be trusted
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This morning I spoke to Darren Adam on LBC about Universal Credit. I thought I’d put this in a post so you can share it more easily. Follow me on Social Media for more news and updates throughout the day. @RespectIsVital on Twitter Universal Credit Sufferer on Facebook @RespectisVital on Instagram If you like what you see and would like
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The Times have reported that Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey has told Cabinet colleagues that about half of lone parents and nearly two thirds of couples with children would lose a whopping £2,400 a year. Tory MPs are finding it harder to defend the under fire benefit as they deal with more and more cases related to Universal Credit
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National foodbank charity The Trussell Trust have released their latest study on the effect Universal Credit has had foodbank referrals and other poverty factors in the UK. The comprehensive study is damning for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as it shows that the new benefit is directly to blame for the rise in foodbank use. More worryingly it
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Claimants of Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) are being abandoned in Jobcentres throughout the UK as staff are too busy dealing with Universal Credit claimants. It has come out that JSA claimants are being asked to sign-on in groups of 9-15 as work coaches are too busy with Universal Credit claims. This has left those on JSA with no support in trying
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have made a embarrassing U-turn that they haven’t publicized. All new claims for Universal Credit will not be accepted if the claimant is in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Daily Living Component. Instead the claimants will be placed on legacy benefits; Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) depending on
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Data released in a Freedom of Information request (FOI) by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) shows between 2010 and 2014, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants with a mental health condition were 5 times as likely to be sanctioned than those with other health conditions. The FOI request submitted by Jack Dutton on whatdotheyknow.com asked for; “A graph showing the employment and
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This weeks Labour Conference brought a lot of uncertainty to those hoping Labour would commit to scrapping the controversial benefit Universal Credit. In an exclusive, a senior Labour MP has told me that scrapping Universal Credit WILL be included in the next Labour Manifesto. At this weeks Labour Party conference there have been mixed messages on the party’s plan for
Read moreI live-streamed Jeremy Corbyn’s full speech at The World Transformed (TWT) festival in Liverpool on Twitter yesterday. I have included the tweet with the recording here so those not on Twitter can access it. Enjoy Alex Jeremy Corbyn is in the wings about to go out on the @TWT_NOW stage.#Lab18 #TWT2018 🌹 https://t.co/yjga1sSU3Q — Alex Tiffin (@RespectIsVital) September 23, 2018
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The Labour Party Conference starts this weekend and there’s much speculation if a motion calling for Universal Credit to be scrapped will feature on the program. The motions have yet to be announced but with unions now joining claimants in calling for it to be scrapped, Labour would be letting claimants down if they don’t hold a vote at the
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A report by The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed that over one third of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants don’t appeal the decision made during the mandatory reconsideration (MR) stage because the process would be too stressful. This comes as figures show that the DWP spent £200 million fighting disability appeals. The report released by the DWP shows
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The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS in England or by UK government departments such as The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). A Freedom of Information request shows that in just three months they paid £299,000 to CAPITA for IT services. CAPITA carry out health assessments
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Universal Credit is never far from the top of news results these days. Whether it’s another damning report on how it’s causing hardship or a whistle-blower exposing Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failings, you can be sure that it’s never good news. However Wednesday saw the fledgling benefit come under attack from all sides. It started at Prime
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The owner of a property management company in Devon has had to evict three tenants after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to make payments for claimants rent as part of Universal Credit. He has also been instructed by landlords not to rent to all benefit claimants so as not to cause a repeat of the issues that have already occurred. No longer accepting benefit
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