Universal Credit: Mps To Debate Rollout Amid Labour Pause Call

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41659504

This should be worth keeping an eye on today... Unless she has a last-minute change of heart and listens to her own back-benchers, and others, May is faced with losing this debate,

[youngmafbog]

Universal Credit is the right way to go, unfortunately as with many Government projects the implementation of it is being done by idots or those with a political agenda so it is in a right mess.

So I agree that is needs pausing until these issues are sorted.

[Cloverjo]

I like the idea of UC, but the way it's being implemented is ridiculous.

'ministers were also giving "serious thought" to cutting the initial waiting period for payments from six to four weeks' from Mikey's link.

Giving serious thought? Just do it For Funks Sake.

[Cloverjo]

^^ I didn't type that. We have a weird AB filter. I typed f.f.s, (without the full stops)

[youngmafbog]

Exactly Clover. The four weeks is deliberate to ensure people can make a transition back to work, although I do think it should be taken into account if you were weekly paid.

There is no need for six weeks, it is clearly incompetence or yet again an expensive failed IT system.

[Islay]

As others have said Universal Credits is the right way to go - but as with all goverments they have refused to spend money on a custom build computer system and have tried to amend an off the shelf computer system which doesn't work. Before this is jumped on this is not a Tory issue it has been every government!

[Ken4155]

Just heard on the radio that the 55p per minute phone call for enquiries about UC is to be scrapped and the calls will be free. While this is welcome news, i fear that the timing of the announcement may have some bearing on the debate?

[jim360]

"the implementation of it is being done by idots [sic]"

Seems a bit harsh. If a policy is badly-written then the most able people in the world won't be able to implement it effectively.

I can accept that the *idea* of Universal Credit might be the right way to go, but the policy itself has been rushed through by, in particular, Iain Duncan Smith when he was Minister at the DWP, and that has left a huge mess that needs clearing up. Universal Credit was an idea that needed proper and careful planning and design before it was rolled out, and was never given a chance by people who -- let's face it -- had a political agenda to do so.

[mikey4444]

YMB...glad to see that we agree on this one !

I might be wrong here but its my best guess that May will agree some kind on compromise today, as she dare not risk losing support from the DUP and others.

[Quizmonster]

Given who created the system, I'm astonished that anyone but he could possibly have imagined it might work!

[youngmafbog]

I include the policy writers in the 'idiots' jim.

These things are continually rushed through (by all Governments) and wrong decisions are made every time. And no one seems to learn or is fired for them. Why? In the real World you feel pain for such disasters!

Remember after implementation (and sometimes repeated just before) comes the headless chicken phase closely followed by the witch hunt phase. Ever PM following Prince II should have this in the plan.

[emmie]

an interesting programme on the other day, that this rollout is causing real problems for people, some of whom have had to wait the six weeks before being able to apply for UC. Worse is that many landlords won't take people on UC, so not only were many not able to get UC, now they have no where to live, some having already been evicted. Terrible situation for them, especially if they have children.

[jim360]

ymb - fair enough.

[Ken4155]

Who cares, emmie? Certainly not the Government. Merely collateral damage as far as our elected leaders are concerned.

[Gromit]

May's Poll Tax moment?

What she does (or doesn't) do today will have consequences. Possibly bad ones if she gets it wrong.

[emmie]

ken, shame on them then, collateral damage maybe, but they are going to be more on the streets than one can possibly imagine.

[mikey4444]

Gromit...good post !

[youngmafbog]

Emmie many Landlords, such as myself, wont take anyone on benefits. Tried it a couple of times got stung every time. UC is not the problem there it is the attitude of some of the benefit tenants.

[youngmafbog]

Yes Gomit, Poll tax was another excellent and fair idea very badly rolled out. Allowing local left wing councils to derail it by trying to raise extra money was a very bad mistake.

Of course Labour never make mistakes or implement bad policy do they?

[emmie]

ymb
then why not get the government to pay the money direct to the landlords, wouldn't that solve the problem.

[youngmafbog]

No Emmie it wont, not unless they pay for the Gas/elec/water/tel any items such as fridges/washing machines, pipework etc. And then we get to the damage ....