Councillor Liz Simpson asks: Where’s the advice from Government departments about major shift in Benefit payments?

 From Monday May 9th following the results and fall out from the local government elections the government is to begin shifting a further 2.6 million people on older benefits onto Universal Credit. The government’s Department for Work and Pensions say that only 55% of benefit claimants will gain slightly from the change, 10% will remain on the same level of payment and 35% will lose out. 

 Councillor Liz Simpson the County Councillor for Newbiggin East an area with the highest rate of children living in deprivation in the vast County of Northumberland is asking for help for her residents from advisors who have knowledge if the change will be beneficial or detrimental and damage their personal living standards further, she said: “I have had a number of people ask me about the proposed changes as some letters have begun to drop on peoples doormats but in line with my colleagues we have had no training offered by the County Council and I have been trying to guide them to Citizens Advice who I am led to believe are already being bombarded with people in need of help due to the ‘Cost of Living Crisis’”. 

 “ I am aware that if your a loser in this massive shift over of benefits you may be put onto top up payments that can be frozen for years until they erode away any difference you receive over whatever the current level of Universal entitlement is at that moment in time, its a system that will drag many into the mire and Ministers should be ashamed that people are to be exposed further to monetary problems when so many of their ‘friends’ and donors are allowed to offshore money made in the UK and not pay Tax that would help those in need.”

“It's time help and understanding was brought into the benefit system and not simply enforced change that will in the long run be worse for all, but when we live under a Government who want to spend £millions sending vulnerable refugees to Rwanda to make what they perceive as a problem go away when in fact we have a shortage of Labour in some areas to harvest crops etc., what do you expect?”.

 

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