Caerphilly County Borough Council has been selected to pilot UK Government reforms of the welfare system.
Universal Credit combines tax credits and benefits in one programme and is intended to make the benefits system less complex.
Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform, has announced that 12 pilot schemes will run across the UK from autumn 2012 and will explore how councils can support residents under the new system.
He said: “We know some people will need support when they first claim universal credit and these projects will highlight how councils can use their local expertise to help residents.
“Helping people to claim online can combat social exclusion; getting online can improve people’s jobseeking skills and help people get ready for the modern workplace, as well as giving them the ability to shop, bank or use many internet services for the first time.”
Cllr Keith Reynolds, deputy leader of council and cabinet member for corporate services, said: “We want to ensure that local people are aware of these forthcoming changes that are being introduced by central government and are able to access the help and support they need in order to understand how Universal Credit will work.
“Our staff are well placed to use their expertise to guide residents and help them understand the implications of the new arrangements. We will work with our partner agencies and the DWP to make the transition as smooth as possible, to make sure local people are capable of claiming the benefits they are entitled to.”
as much as this may or may not be a good thing (i don't know) my concern is for the suffing and stress that will befall some of our area's most vulnerable Peale in the inevitable confusion this imposed change will bring about.
As long as it takes away from the scroungers and gives to the needy I'm all for it. Our present system is easily abused so any other direction is worth a try. Am really sick to death of the undeserving making a lifestyle out of benefits. Like the guy on my street that hasn't worked for 20 years.
I think this is more about council staff being up to speed with changes so they might best support claimants. Which would help to address concerns raised by Geriant.
If someone hasn't worked for twenty years then I assume they would have a reason for not doing so. Be it terminal unemployment or long term disability. Though in the case of unemployment, you would think twenty years long enough for anyone to find a job.
What makes ANYONE think THIS Tory/Lib Dem Social policy change to the complex welfare system will deal with the issues which so worry Peter?.
There are many complex reasons, some which are not apparent to other members of the public, which prevent individuals from engaging in meaningful employment, and, the main thing on this point is that the authorities who pay the welfare benefit are aware, at all times, of those reasons for not working, it really has nothing whatsoever to do with Peter or anyone else other than the authorities why the ` guy on my (Peter`s) street` has`nt worked for 20 years, in fact how on earth does Peter know he is on any benefits at all?. That is the nature of the welfare system, the benefits are tailored to the individuals needs and circumstances.
What this new benefit will do, if it is operated properly, and I have my doubts that inexperienced benefit officers will know how to apply it, is that each claimant should personally benefit from ALL benefits available, and it will be the responsibility of each benefit officer to ENSURE that claimants get all to which they are entitled.
Just watch the Appeal System go into meltdown next year, and that is not a difficult prediction considering the same ` Courts Appeal Service` which deals with Benefit appeals is already falling apart with Judges and Penal Doctors allowing huge numbers of appeals in favour of claimants.
Caerphilly Council will be in the direct firing line of all those claimants who will not be getting a level of benefit they expect under the Tory law changes, the greatest injustice will, of course, be the Blind man from Caerphilly who has just lost his rights to benefits, the cancer sufferer who is undergoing Chemotherapy who will no longer have access to benefits, the legless ex-serviceman who has been fitted with new `legs`, the homeless young person who will be told that they have no rights to benefits, because, they have no home, why do they have no home in the first place? because Caerphilly Council do not consider a homeless young person being entitled to a home in the borough.
It seems we will now see a Labour led Local Authority spearheading the cuts to benefits to disabled, old and sick, the homeless, the hopeless and the mentally ill, all done on the criminally and morally flawed ATOS medical assessments, this firm ATOS earned 100 million pounds to do the Tories filthy dirty work, how much will Caerphilly Council be given in additional grant aid by the Government to do the same????
If the Leaders of Caerphilly Council have any choice in the matter they should look to Lib Dem and Tory Councils to champion the work of The Minster for Welfare Reform, this is a strategically suicidal move on the part of a Labour Authority, they should wait to see if the Tories survive long enough to impliment them.
Reassessment for the purpose of disability benefits is a wholly separate issue to the implementation of universal credit. Furthermore, it is new claimants who will be the first to encounter the benefit. With migration of existing claimants taking place later and over a period of time. The policy is that no claimant shall lose financially as a result of the transition.
C.C.B.C. will of course have applied for selection on a wholly voluntary basis.
Perhaps if people spent less time embarking on flights of fancy with dramatic tales of impending doom and a little more on informing themselves, then they might not appear quite so confused.
Incidentally changes to disability benefits were instigated by the labour party. Anyone expecting a coalition collapse with Labour riding in on a white horse offering benefits for all, is either deluded in the extreme or quite simply deranged.
Once again we see distorted comments which peddle and support Tory policy of dismantling the welfare system, leaving behind those in most need in society, whilst at the same time ensuring the third sector, ( charitable organisations) are not well placed to assist those who will see their welfare benefits entitlement cut or discontinued. Good to see that Helen, who supports this distorted demolition of the basic welfare system admits and agrees with my comment that the changes will involve ALL benefit claimants, and not just new claimants.
This extreem right wing reform and dismantling of the UK`s social policy by instigating a `scatter gun` approach, which maims the genuine, the needy and the honest citizens of the country is nothing to be proud, Helen. Targeting the dishonest, those who illegally claim benefits and those who are experts at curcumnavigating the regulation to obtain benefits to which they are not entitled, is the way forward, it is difficult to know what the proposed changes will do to help genuine claimants.
I once again repeat that the courts Tribunal Service is already in meltdown as a result of the faulty, flawed and not fit for purpose Work Assessment done by inexperienced, none medical, and untrained people making a judgement as to a claimants physical ability to ` work`.
Some years ago a famous and well known local politician said during the time of the Thatcher Government, "don`t live in Britain if you are Sick, if you are old, you are poor, or, if you are disabled", Cameron is picking up and running with the policies of that Government, to which he was a junior policy adviser. And this is the reason we will see his government falling apart, he is bleeding the little public support he enjoyed during his honeymoon period, he was unable to form a majority Government after the last election, at a time when the Labour party was, tired, worn out, and largely redundant of fresh policy, and was at a low political ebb. If, indeed he finds the authority to hang on until 2015 at least we will see the back of him then.