Waiting for credit…

More like waiting for Godot!

DWP have responded to this report, according to this press story:

‘This research is based on anecdotal evidence from a tiny, self-selecting sample of less than 1% of current Universal Credit claimants. As CAB themselves say, it is not representative of all claimants of Universal Credit.
The reality is that Universal Credit is simplifying the welfare system to make work pay and is already transforming hundreds of thousands of lives.
Universal Credit claimants are moving into work faster and staying in work longer, and the new welfare system will ensure three million of the poorest households will be better off.’

I find this ‘fingers-in-ears’ approach to be unhelpful. I wish they would acknowledge the obvious issues, or how else can they begin to work on fixing them? DWP are dismissing reports like this as being unrepresentative, without actually coming up with any other research or report that comes to a different conclusion. Some of this report’s conclusions are frankly self-evident from the very structure of UC itself; it shouldn’t need a survey of thousands of people to confirm that not paying thousands of people any benefit for the first few weeks of their claim will cause them problems.

[Disclaimer: I work for one of the offices that contributed to the survey, but this post is all just my personal opinion. I should also point out that this was not a ‘Citizens Advice’ report in the sense of emmanating from our national organization, it was actually a local offices thing]

All research that does not trumpet UC is ignored or slagged off. It is usually attacked as ‘out of date’ or ‘misleading’.

The DWP’s effusion here is depressingly characteristic.

Note the cut-and-paste hooey about moving in to work faster etc etc.

Note the gross exaggeration, ‘hundreds of thousands’

Note the quibbling about tiny numbers (!!!!)

Note the attack on ‘anecdotal’ evidence from a department which was caught inventing claimants to praise its own policies.

Note the use of Duncan Smith’s pet phrase ‘the reality is’. Someone’s going to get a sweetie from Teech.

Note the usual dishonesty and delusion.

What does IDS know about reality?

One day Karma is going to catch up with this lot. And it can’t come fast enough.

As you all well know, only IDS can use anecdotal evidence.  He can devise major legislation on the basis of it.  But no-one else is allowed to use anecdotal evidence….ever…..

I attended a DWP stakeholders meeting yesterday at local Jobcentre. DWP staff had no idea about the waiting, assessement and payment period for UC. But then we have only been a live area since June!

Stakeholders meetings in our area appear to have been shelved “until further notice”! Possibly because the “stakeholders” did not share DWP’s rosy, optimistic view of UC as the universal panacea for all benefit-related problems!