United Concern About Universal Credit

A well attended meeting in New Mills on Monday night ( September 3rd) was given an insight into the huge problems and injustices associated  with the implementation of Universal Credit , which is happening in High Peak next week. It also heard from activists in areas where Universal Credit has already been introduced, who are campaigning against it whilst at the same time giving practical support to those affected by its impact.

Universal Credit ( UC) combines  a number of existing benefits into a single payment. Not a bad idea in itself and generally welcomed in principle when it was first suggested. The disaster that it has become has been largely due to the fact that its implementation has had the primary intention of saving money rather than having it better spent. This has meant that the original promise to ‘make work pay’ has been heavily diluted whilst those with children and/or disabilities are facing severe cuts to their payments. In addition those in part time employment or struggling to establish themselves in self-employment are also in danger of being heavily penalised. 

High Peak Labour MP Ruth George told the meeting that the real problem was the policy of austerity, from a Government which was determined  to cut public spending regardless of the economic and social damage that this had and would continue to cause. This had been compounded by crazy changes to the way benefit is claimed and  paid including 

• requiring all claims to be made and managed on line
• the ( minimum) five week delay in assessing new claims
• monthly payments in arrears 
• making rent payments to tenants rather than directly to landlords
• not allowing payments to be split between couples 

These changes, on top of the reductions in the amounts being paid, have already led to a rise in debt ( including to loan sharks) increased evictions and homelessness and an increased risk of domestic and financial abuse. Ruth, aware of the serious problems with UC, had established a Parliamentary Group on the issue within months of being elected, and was doing everything she could to prepare her constituents for its introduction, whilst recognising the need for the Labour Party and the wider community to campaign on the issue. 

The meeting had been organised by Unite Community, part of the UK’s largest trade union, which offers the opportunity to the unemployed, carers, volunteers, students and the retired to campaign in their community and help shape its future. High Peak Unite Community hopes to establish its own branch in the near future. It needs a membership of 50 to do so.

see here for details on how to join www.unitetheunion.org/community

At present the group is part of of the North Derbyshire branch. The Branch Secretary Colin Hampton, who is also coordinator of the Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centres, told the meeting how the two organisations had worked together to produce a report on the impact of UC  in the Chesterfield area. They had  interviewed 100 people claiming the benefit in July 2018 and had found that

• half of respondents had a clearly negative view  of UC  and only 14% had a positive one

• 30% have had difficulty making a claim on line

• over 1/3 had been put into debt by UC

The report provides valuable evidence and a campaign resource. Unite Community in Chesterfield are trying to be creative in their campaigning strategies, making short films to highlight the injustices of UC, as well as the related issues of insecure employment, zero hours contracts and the closure of local Job Centres. Some of the films were shown at the meeting, to much acclaim.

Ashton Job Centre in nearby Tameside was among the first to pilot UC and its impact has been clear for all to see. Homelessness, debt and poverty have risen and the local community is struggling to cope. Pauline Town runs a community pub in Ashton but also has ‘ a second full time job’ feeding and assisting many of Tameside’s homeless and destitute. She told the meeting how much worse things had got under UC and how much worse still things will get  when existing claimants are transferred onto UC, which is planned sometime soon. She and her team of volunteers had already started collecting for children’s Christmas presents and she was very worried for the future of her community. 

Ruth, Colin and Pauline were commended for their efforts, and for the example they provided to politicians, community activists and Labour Party members elsewhere. Discussion turned to the practicalities of developing support and structures in High Peak to help communities cope with the introduction of UC in the borough. Although High Peak, like everywhere else, had been impacted by the growth of poverty and inequality in 21st century Britain, it had not experienced street homelessness to any significant degree. This was likely to change.

All in all it was a depressing meeting but at the same time an inspirational one. Speakers from the floor were encouraged by the work of their excellent MP, the Chesterfield campaign and the admirable  work being done by Pauline and her team in Ashton, for whom a substantial collection was made. There was also a recognition that a change of government and of economic and social priorities was what was really required, as soon as possible, and that the Labour Party still had much to do to bring this about, in High Peak and elsewhere. 

I suspect I wasn’t the only Labour Party member present who left the meeting with a thought along the following lines. Surely the party could and should be united under the current  leadership in focusing on such issues as Universal Credit (and  collapsing public services, growing inequality, climate change, the continuing refugee crisis etc etc)  rather than fighting internally over  allegations of anti-semitism and different tactics over Brexit , issues which some Labour MPs seem more anxious to ferment rather than resolve?