Agenda item

To note the impact Universal Credit Full Service (UCFS and consider and comment on the proposals to reduce the risk of hardship to claimants and increasing HRA debt

The Committee received a report from the Customer, Business and Revenues Service Manager and were asked to note the impact Universal Credit Full Service (UCFS) would have on HRA rent arrears and additional workload across the Operational Services team, and consider and comment on the proposals to reduce the risk of hardship to claimants and increasing HRA debt.

The Committee noted that Universal Credit (UC) aimed to ensure claimants were better off in work than on benefits. There had been many criticisms of UC as it had been rolled out across the United Kingdom since May 2016. The government had responded to these concerns but the key impacts of hardship for claimants and especially the impact of UC on rent arrears remained a potential concern.

To help the Council understand the likely impact on UC claimants that live in the district, Officers had gathered information from a range of sources to provide a national context alongside local impact from visiting neighbouring local authorities that are already UCFS. The work undertaken to predict the impact of UCFS had been thorough. It was clear from the research that workloads across Operational Services would increase and HRA debt was likely to rise as more people claimed UC.

Members expressed concern regarding the lack of integration between Council systems and software and that used by the DWP; therefore, the resulting manual inputting that would be required when the DWP notified the Council of changes to individuals’ circumstances was unavoidable. It was noted that this was also an issue of concern across the country for all local authorities.

The Committee was pleased to note that Selby District Council had been proactive in preparing for the implementation of UC, and had planned for the support that would be required by some recipients, such as personal budgeting support. Digital support and advice would be offered to those who needed to apply for UC but weren’t used to using computers, and individuals or families with complex debt issues would be referred on to the Citizens Advice Bureau and other organisations that would be best placed to assist them.

Some Members felt that information on UC should be available in hard copy form, perhaps as a leaflet, that could be delivered or given out by the Council staff, such as Neighbourhood Officers. Officers confirmed that they would raise the matter with the DWP at an upcoming meeting, and that if such leaflets were available, they would endeavour to make these available to residents.

Members were pleased with the level of preparation undertaken by the authority and complimented Officers on the work they had done so far.

RESOLVED:

i)       To note the impact Universal Credit Full Service (UCFS) would have on HRA rent arrears and additional workload across the Operational Services Team.

ii)     To note and endorse the proposals to reduce the risk of hardship to claimants and increasing HRA debt.

iii)    To note with concern the lack of software integration between the DWP and Council systems, and ask that Officers make representations to the Government on the matter.

iv)    To compliment Officers on the level of preparation undertaken in the last few months to support residents and tenants to claim and manage their UC entitlement.