The next stage of the universal credit rollout has been delayed amid concerns about the controversial new benefits system.<\/p>\n
MPs were due to vote on whether to move three million benefit claimants onto universal credit in the next few weeks.<\/p>\n
But this vote has been pushed back and Parliament will instead be asked to vote on transferring just 10,000 people to the new benefits system.<\/p>\n
Ministers say all claimants will be on universal credit by 2023 as planned.<\/p>\n
Universal credit is the UK’s welfare reform and is being phased in across the UK. It combines six different benefits into one monthly payment.<\/p>\n
Supporters of the reform say it helps simplify the current benefits system, which is complicated.<\/p>\n
But the rollout has run over budget, is years behind schedule and has been criticised for making an estimated 3.2 million households worse off.<\/p>\n
Some people already claiming universal credit say it has forced them into destitution and in some cases prostitution. Others say they have been left to rely on foodbanks.<\/p>\n
Universal credit: Will benefit changes affect you?<\/p>\n
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More than one million people are currently in receipt of universal credit – either new claimants for benefits or those who have had a change in circumstances, perhaps by moving house.<\/p>\n
The government’s plan is for almost seven million people to be on universal credit by 2023.<\/p>\n
In the next few weeks, ministers were due to seek Parliamentary approval to move three million existing welfare claimants onto the new benefit.<\/p>\n
But now Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd will seek approval for just 10,000 people to be moved onto universal credit in the summer.<\/p>\n
That process will then be assessed and further Parliamentary approval sought before every other existing welfare claimant is moved.<\/p>\n
A source close to Ms Rudd said the pause was the right thing to do, and should reassure Parliament that she was listening to MPs’ concerns.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The next stage of the universal credit rollout has been delayed amid concerns about the controversial new benefits system. MPs were due to vote on whether to move three million benefit claimants onto universal credit in the next few weeks. But this vote has been pushed back and Parliament will instead be asked to vote on transferring just 10,000 people to the new benefits system. Ministers say all claimants will be on universal credit by 2023 as planned. Universal credit is the UK’s welfare reform and is being phased in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[30,2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17102"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17104,"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17102\/revisions\/17104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.banglanewsus.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}