In a speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, announced plans to accelerate the introduction of Universal Credit (UC), hailing a trial scheme in the north west as a great success.
According to Housemark:
Mr Smith said:
“Universal credit is a vision for a new welfare settlement, a welfare state fit for the 21st century, a testament to the hard work of jobcentres and local authorities that we are now implementing it.
“It has now been rolled out in the north west of England to couples, shortly to families, to more than one in eight jobcentres by Christmas, safely and securely as I always said.”
UC is already in place across over 50 Jobcentres in England, Wales and Scotland – and it will be implemented in nearly 100 Jobcentres by Christmas. Further details about the scheme can be found here.
Some commentators are doubtful [log-in] about the success of UC during the north west trial. Colin Talbot, Professor of Government at the University of Manchester said, “I think they got a few thousand individuals without encumbrances, in simple circumstances, off the existing system. I would hardly describe that as a ‘success'”.