From Ticket Office Closures to Changes to Welfare
From a summer last year of challenging (successfully) the planned train ticket office closures, Disabled People Against Cuts North East (DPAC NE) is now helping to support people who are entitled to ‘legacy benefits’ navigate onto Universal Credit (UC).
For people in Teesside the migration will commence from April this year, so please check your mail and contact local Welfare Rights Organisations. This ‘Managed Migration' has now started with letters going out to those 6 means-tested benefits:
- Income Support
- Income related Employment & Support Allowance
- Income based Job Seekers Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Child Tax Credits
- Working Tax Credits
People must claim UC after getting the letter and before the 3 month deadline date given on the letter and must not ignore this ‘Migration Notice’. DPAC NE have created a leaflet which has useful advice and information in it to make people aware of what is happening and how they can get help.
This migration will bring people subject to this migration under the UC regime of sanctions and reviews from DWP staff members. The government have also made changes to in-work conditionality for minimum-waged workers in receipt of Universal Credit:
- An increase in the Administrative Earnings Threshold from 9 to 18 hours
- 424,000 people working below those hours will be treated as if they are unemployed.
- 600,000 Universal Credit working claimants will be required to meet a work coach and look for more work or face sanctions from September 2023.
- 700,000 ‘lead carers of children’ will be required to meet a work coach and look for work or face sanctions
Facts
Some 41% of the 6.06 million people currently on Universal Credit (expected to increase to 7 million) are in work. Unfortunately many are forced to claim due to low wages, caring responsibilities or long-term sickness or disability. The majority are women.
Current timetable
The latest time-table applies to people who have not reached their state pension age (both people in a joint claim). Tax credit only claimants, that is, those claiming tax credits but no other legacy benefits joined the managed migration exercise during 2023. By the end of the 2023/24 tax year, most will have migrated to universal credit.
Tax credit claimants who also claim any of the other legacy benefits (including ESA) will be selected for the managed migration mainly during 2024. By the end of the 2024/25 tax year, most will have migrated to universal credit.
People claiming other legacy benefits, but not ESA only or ESA plus housing benefit only, will also be selected for the managed migration exercise during 2024. By the end of the 2024/25 tax year, most will have migrated to universal credit.
People claiming ESA only or ESA plus housing benefit (but not tax credits), will be selected for the managed migration exercise during 2028. By the end of the 2028/29 tax year, most will have migrated to universal credit.
If you live in Teesside the migration will commence from April this year, so please check your mail and contact local Welfare Rights Organisations:
Redcar & Cleveland Welfare Rights
Craig Duerden
MVDA
In February 2007 Craig joined the Planning & Partnership team with a focus on Health & Social Care. He left MVDA in 2010 and re-joined us in August 2014 as Strategic Development Officer. He is currently acting as the partnership manager for both the Middlesbrough Carers Partnership and Middlesbrough Mental Health Partnership as well as leading MVDA’s work around VCS intelligence and supporting the Health and Wellbeing VCS Forum.