Stockport Labour have ensured Stockport Council will call on Government to stop, fix or scrap Universal Credit.

Labour Cabinet Member for Reform and Governance, Cllr Elise Wilson brought the motion to the Full Council meeting of the 29^th November.

Having been approved by a large majority of Councillors, the Council now write to the Government demanding a pause in Universal Credit rollout both in Stockport and across the country, to allow for solutions to be found in relation to manifold problems associated with the programme.

During the course of the Meeting, many Labour Councillors spoke of the hardships experienced by their constituents in relation to UC rollout, including examples where people had struggled to get to work opportunities because of delayed payments, people having to choose between food and rent; indebtedness and rent arrears for tenants. Furthermore, instances where these factors have led to loss of employment – the exact opposite of that the system was designed to promote – were noted.

Mover of the Motion and Councillor for Davenport & Cale Green Elise Wilson said:

“I am pleased this Council came together to pass this motion, meaning this Council will now deliver give a clear message to Government- this system is failing in its own terms, and we need urgent action to pause and fix the system or scrap it all together.

“This is what I said on the night when presenting the motion, and I’m pleased that many other councillors were able to make their points about the experiences of their constituents.

“Universal Credit has caused people fall into debt due to delayed payments, even causing some to lose their homes. It has meant some are unable to get to work or find work opportunities – exactly the opposite of what it should be doing.

“It is time the government listened to the many which are calling for action on Universal Credit.”

Amanda Peers, Councillor for Manor Ward, commented

“As somebody who works with vulnerable adults, this has turned into a nightmare.

“For a disabled person to qualify for the limited capabilities strand of Universal Credit, they must complete a detailed questionnaire. If they are not competent to do this, the system will not direct them to the right support. The staff are not trained to recognise disabilities, and if so disabled people in need get missed by the system. And when this happens, they cannot be reassessed for 29 weeks- leaving them really struggling.

“Instead of supporting people to get on, this system is impeding them in life. Real reform or a full stop altogether is needed, and for these reasons I am pleased to see this motion pass in Stockport. “

The full rollout of Universal Credit was begun in Stockport from the 21^st November.

 

ENDS

 

EDITOR NOTES

The webcast of the motion discussion is available here: https://stockport.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/386794/start_time/13640000

The full text of the motion follows:

This Council notes:

• cross-party backing for the principles behind Universal Credit (UC), including the amalgamation of benefits, access via one application portal and ensuring work always pays;
• the work of this Council and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau to help and support people in relation to navigating the changing benefits system and mitigating the risks of change; and

• that despite this, the Government’s approach to UC rollout has raised significant concern in relation to monthly payments in arrears, overuse of sanctions, the pacing of transition and rollout; opacity in relation to the benefits entitlement, and cuts to the benefits system which not reflective of need.

This Council further notes concerning reports that for many people, this has led to:

• exacerbated poverty and hardship;
• increased poverty for low income working families;
• people having to choose between food and rent;
• indebtedness due to delayed payments;
• increased rent arrears for tenants in social housing;
• making it harder for victims of domestic abuse to escape relationships;
• disadvantages for non-IT literate people; and
• instances where these factors have led to loss of employment.

This Council believes that:

• the measures contained in the recent Budget to provide resources to help improve the taper and help with return to work are to be welcomed, but do not and cannot fully address the aforementioned concerns;
• as such, this Budget represented a missed opportunity to halt Universal Credit rollout completely, and allow for the full, systemic and funding review of implementation approach needed to fully address these problems.

This Council therefore resolves to:

• Continue to work with partner organisations to mitigate as far as possible the risks and challenges associated with this month’s UC rollout; and
• Request that the Chief Executive write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer requesting that funding be urgently found to address the needs of UC recipients and plug the wait times gap, and write to the Secretary of State for Work & Pensions urging an end to the current system of monthly payments in arrears, or a halt to further rollout of the ‘Full Service’ system.

 

Moved By:         Cllr Elise Wilson                 Seconded by:     Cllr Andy Sorton