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Next stage of 'safe and secure’ universal credit roll out revealed
Details of the next stage of the universal credit roll-out were unveiled by Lord David Freud yesterday.
It was announced the ‘safe and secure’ roll-out to the rest of the north west of England will start in June as more jobcentres will come online each week until the region is covered. Once this is completed, 90 jobcentres, or one in eight jobcentres in Britain, will offer the full universal credit. A spokesperson for DWP said more details about the roll out will be annunced ‘in due course’.
From the summer couples will be able to make new universal credit claims from jobcentres delivering full universal credit.
The Department for Work and Pensions is currently in discussion with the following 12 local authorities to be involved in the expansion: Salford Council, Wirral Council, Preston Council, St Helens Council, Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West & Chester Council, Trafford Council, Bolton Council, Bury Council, South Ribble Council, Sefton Council, and Knowsley Council.
Wigan, Warrington, Tameside and Oldham have already rolled out the universal credit. In total 10 sites are currently accepting universal credit claims across the UK.
Lord Freud said: ‘We now have 10 sites successfully running universal credit in England, Scotland and Wales and the next step is to open the new benefit to claimants across the north west as part of our safe and secure roll-out.
‘Universal credit is helping to ensure that work pays and is part of the government’s long-term plan to get more people into work and off benefits.’
Figures released earlier this month by the DWP showed that more than 5,200 people had started on the scheme up to January 2014.
