When does UC come in..

I have been arguing with people regarding implementation of UC..

do all new claim from April 2013 need to be UC or do we wait on our area rolling out?

do all change of circs for HB etc result in a transfer to UC..?

hitting my head off a brick wall..  8-))

Initally you’d expect to see very few UC claimants.

From April to October 2013 it will be tested with a subset of claimants (perhaps just single claimants, without children, not working, and without limited capability for work.)

This will be the four pathfinder areas in selected postcodes in NW England (in Tameside, Oldham, Wigan and Warrington.)

DWP expect just 9000 UC claimants by the end of September 2013.

Presumably UC claimants could move elsewhere during that period but I don’t know if they’d stay on UC.

From October 2013 UC will start in just seven out of the 37 DWP regions (more recent rumours have suggested that the October rollouts will also only cover a restricted group of claimants at first.)

Everywhere else will still see new new claims for legacy benefits - in some areas this will continue until early 2014.

There’s some information here..

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/touchbase-ezine-june-2012.pdf

but as with anything UC-related plans may have changed since.

You can also find one or two clues about the timetable (in amongst all the PR) in the Housing Benefit Direct Universal Credit Special Edition at..

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/universal-credit-special-issue-oct-2012.pdf

thanks Jon.

At a stakeholder meeting with JCP and DWP yesterday we were told October 2013 for Bootle and up north and April 2014 for New Claims