Despite warning after warning, the universal credit rollout continues

Analysis: A local council has branded the flagship welfare reform ‘broken’, but May Bulman says ministers show little sign of changing their plans

This tactic of jumping to defend universal credit has become a common one for the DWP (Getty)

Universal credit has been criticised – yet again. This time, it is one of the first local authorities to roll out the reform that has spoken out. Southwark Council said the new system was “broken” and leaving claimants in rent arrears and depending on charity for food. Coming from the council itself, it is difficult to dispute these claims.

But the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has responded by deflecting from the issues put before them. “The vast majority of people are happy managing their money,” a spokesperson claimed in response to the criticism, adding: “Many claimants come on to universal credit with pre-existing rent arrears which falls by a third after four months.”

This tactic of jumping to defend universal credit has become a common operation for DWP ministers and press officers. The reform was introduced in 2013 with the intention of bringing “fairness and simplicity” to Britain’s social security system, by rolling six major working-age benefits into one payment. The department continues to insist that the new benefit is helping people to get into work faster and stay in work longer than the system it is replacing.