Universal Credit - not fit for purpose

More reports have surfaced, this time from the Landlords Association, confirming Universal Credit is not fit for purpose!

Rent arrears among claimants are rising and this is no surprise considering Universal Credit is no longer meeting the requirements it was designed for.

Local Liberal Democrat campaigner Dean Crofts said "Originally, we were told it was made to look like the world of work, where people get paid monthly therefore welfare payments would be paid monthly. What the DWP and Tory government officials fail to realise is that when you start a tenancy, you are expected to pay your rent in advance and a deposit (often another months rent)."

Dean added "Universal Credit (and our previous legacy benefit system) pays housing costs in arrears. Therefore it does not meet the needs of a rent industry set up for payments in advance. It creates debt, rent arrears and the prospect of eviction, leading to homelessness, rough sleeping and an increase in temporary accommodation costs met by yes, you - the taxpayer."

Combine this with the freezing of housing welfare costs over the last 3 years, the increasing rent increases in the private sector and you have a recipe for disaster that is Universal Credit.

A welfare system has to be a safety net in times of peoples lives to help them through periods of illness, periods of joblessness and to support those who cannot work and have caring needs to sustain lives many of us take for granted.