Fraudulent universal credit claims being made to obtain advance payments

NAWRA members have reported via the rightsnet discussion forum that clients have been contacted by a loan company offering a ‘government grant’. The loan company then takes information sufficient to verify ID and submit a universal credit claim without the client’s knowledge, arranges an advance and then keeps a substantial Read more…

DWP to pay compensation to wrongly advised claimants?

Amber Rudd and Neil Couling have told the Work and Pensions Committee that the DWP will pay compensation to claimants who have been misadvised, by the DWP, to claim universal credit and have lost out as a result. Giving evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee, Amber Rudd and Neil Read more…

Letter to Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

In early February, we wrote to the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Amber Rudd.  As we have not received a reply, we have written to her again. Our original letter welcomed her to the post, summarised our main concerns about Universal Credit and made an offer to Read more…

UC waiting days

Back in October 2014, the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) ran a consultation on the government’s proposal that Universal Credit claimants must wait seven days before they are entitled to benefit. NAWRA surveyed its members and 183 organisations from across the country provided evidence. Daphne Hall (Lasa) collated all of Read more…

Universal Credit – past earning consultation

NAWRA has submitted a response to the Social Security Advisory Committee consultation concerning the government’s intention that ‘surplus earnings’ from the previous six months should be taken into account when a person reclaims universal credit (UC). The proposal suggests that any ‘surplus earnings’ – defined as earnings more than just Read more…