Universal credit progress.

rogerblack

As of Aug 14, there were 13260 people who have claimed universal credit.
Some of these will now be in work at a pay which mean they now aren't paid any UC.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-apr-2013-to-aug-2014

The vast majority of these are in the North west of England, around the Greater Manchester and Merseyside areas - 10K, with scattered claimants elsewhere.

Twice as many men as women are claiming UC, and most claimants are under 25.

The implementation of UC looks to be speeding up - with a significant rise in the rates of new claimants.
From august 13 to July 2014, the rise in new claimants has been fairly constant, at about 900 a month.
In August, 3500 new claimants were added, with 1000 coming from one area that was new to universal credit - Merseyside.

https://www.gov.uk/jobcentres-where-you-can-claim-universal-credit is a current list of Jobcentres affected by UC.


http://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/universalcredit.aspx

• In 2014 Universal Credit will be paid to people living in North-West England and six other Universal Credit pilot areas. In these areas new claims by single people and couples without children will be for Universal Credit (though there are a number of exceptions to this rule)
• The groups affected will widen to include people with children from Autumn 2014, though a precise date has not yet been announced
• In 2015 further pilot areas outside North-West England will be included in the scheme
• In 2016 and 2017 Universal Credit will be rolled out across Great Britain. It will affect all benefit and tax credit claimants except people currently claiming Employment and Support Allowance
• In 2018 people currently claiming Employment and Support Allowance will be brought into Universal Credit

Is the current timetable that is proposed.


Based on some very rough calculations, it seems likely that the current number of people on UC as of now may approach 20K, with 6K being added per month.


As context, there are around 80K new claims of JSA per month, around the same number of ESA claims. (many of these will be contributory and not replaced by UC)

Housing_Benefit_Officer

I have seen so many timetables and deadlines come and go.

I will believe it when it actually happens. Anything before then I treat as ambitious hope it will happen not a date when it will actually happen.