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Morning Briefing: Gauke faces down MPs over Universal Credit roll-out

News10.10.17by Inside Housing

Work and pensions secretary David Gauke faced tough questions about the roll-out of the government’s flagship welfare reform last night

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Morning Briefing: Gauke faces down MPs over Universal Credit roll-out

In the news

Several national news publications covered the work and pensions questions session in parliament yesterday evening.

The work and pensions secretary faced hostile questions from Labour MPs – including Frank Field, chair of the Work and Pensions Sommittee, and shadow work and pensions secretary Debbie Abrahams – about the effect of the increased Universal Credit roll-out this winter.

Mr Field asked Mr Gauke to guarantee that none of his constituents would “face hunger, near destitution”. Mr Gauke responded by saying the aim of the policy is to strengthen claimants’ finances, prompting the Huffington Post headline ‘David Gauke refuses to guarantee families won’t go hungry over Christmas’.

Universal Credit, combines six working-age, means-tested benefits into one monthly payment paid directly to households. The government is stepping up the pace of its roll-out, extending its digital service to all 700 Jobcentres by next September.

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Concerns have been raised about the direct payment to households, a six-week wait for payments and the IT system that administers the scheme.

The Daily Mail’s coverage focused on Mr Gauke’s defending of the policy by “slapping down his critics”.

Our report of the earlier stages of the parliamentary session focused on criticism of the policy from Conservative MPs.

The government at noon today also launches its race disparity audit website, which will be called Ethnicity Facts and Figures.

The website will contain data showing how public services treat people of different races and will include statistics about housing.

As we flagged last week, the audit will reportedly show that white people are much more likely to own their home than people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Elsewhere, the Welwyn Hatfield Times has a report about plans for 1,500 homes on the site of a former Shredded Wheat factory and Slough Council is reportedly taking over a block of flats that failed fire safety tests.

Finally, The Independent has run an article by a trio of academics arguing that investing in warmer homes can save the NHS “billions”.

On social media

Today is World Homeless Day and several people working for homelessness charities and other organisations have been tweeting their support:

What’s on

  • The government’s race disparity audit website launches at noon
  • MPs will discuss the future of supported housing funding in a debate at 4pm
  • The Chartered Institute of Housing is holding an innovation and technology showcase in Glasgow
Govt agency/department/organisationMorning BriefingPolicywelfare reform
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