DWP: Stockton Whistle Blower Alleges Universal Credit Claimants Only Paid 'If They Call to Complain'

Stockton South MP Dr Paul Williams has raised the issue in Parliament.

A whistleblower has alleged benefit claimants moving onto Universal Credit in Stockton are only being paid if they call to complain, an MP has claimed. Stockton South MP Dr Paul Williams has raised the issue in Parliament.

Dr Paul Williams addressed Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) minister Alok Sharma in Parliament after a Universal Credit caseworker wrote to him about "chaos" in the system.

The letter claimed under-pressure staff at Stockton Job Centre were struggling with double or triple the 300 cases they are expected to work on.

The whistleblower said that a new phone system - which they claim was set up to allow claimants to get straight through to their advisor - was so busy, that case managers were spending almost all of their time on the phone.

After receiving the letter, the Labour MP for Stockton South told Parliament on Tuesday: "She describes overworked staff looking after so many cases that people receive payments only when they complain.

Mr Sharma said he and DWP colleagues visit JobCentres across the country and the "characterisation that he described is not the one we find", claiming work coaches are "enthusiastic" about the new benefit, which replaced six in-work benefits and represents the Tory Government's flagship reform of the welfare service.

He added that 80% of people get their full first payment on time, with 90% getting at least a part-payment.

A DWP spokesman said: "Based upon our data we disagree strongly with this assessment. The introduction of Universal Credit is set to complete next month and the current workload for case managers is at expected levels."

In Stockton, all new benefit claimants were moved onto Universal Credit in July. DWP figures show 3,035 people had already moved onto the new system by September.

ABC Note: We have pointed out that in Essex for example case managers have six hundred claimants to look after and as such they are not properly responding to complaints.

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