21 hours Ago By [email protected] (James Rodger, Ashlea Hickin)
DWP forced to change Universal Credit detail after being urged to 'correct' it (Image: Getty Images) Sign up to our free email newsletter to receive the latest breaking news and daily roundups More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you.
More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Sign up to our free email newsletter to receive the latest breaking news and daily roundups Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you.
More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice The Department for Work and Pensions has been forced to correct an "entirely misleading claim" regarding Universal Credit. The Office for Statistics Regulation informed the DWP that their claim of a 383 percent increase in people deemed too ill to seek employment within less than five years was exaggerated. Rob Kent-Smith, the deputy head of the UK's Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), accused the department of presenting an "entirely misleading picture to the public" in a DWP press release dated March 13.
The DWP had claimed a 383 percent surge in the number of individuals considered too sick to job hunt within less than five years. However, the OSR pointed out that the government department had included individuals who had transitioned from legacy benefits in their count. In reality, the increase is only 50 percent, reports Birmingham Live .
"The statement that the number of people claiming disability elements of universal credit has increased by 383 percent presents an entirely misleading picture to the public," stated Kent-Smith in a letter addressed to Peter Schofield, the DWP's permanent secretary. "The figure does not recognise that the majority of this increase is due to the process of migrating people from legacy benefits, such as employment and support allowance (ESA), to universal credit over the last few years. When these people are accounted for, the actual increase in the number of people claiming disability elements of universal credit is 50 percent.
" The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has updated its release amidst claimants voicing their struggles with the 'relentless' cost of living crisis, which saw a significant surge in bills on Tuesday, April 1. This comes just two weeks after the DWP announced a range of cuts to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). According to the DWP's projections, the reductions in health and disability benefits are expected to plunge an additional 250,000 individuals, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty post-housing costs by the fiscal year 2029-30.
One individual expressed frustration to The Guardian, stating she is "very angry" having voted Labour, as she feels the party has "shifted their values closer to the Conservatives ". She called on the government to address inequality, which she believes is "destroying the social fabric". "Life is hard," she said.
"I never thought I would be so financially insecure at this stage in my life." Join CambridgeshireLive's free WhatsApp channel for the latest breaking news Get the latest breaking news and top stories straight to your phone for free with CambridgeshireLive's WhatsApp channel. To join, all you need to do is click this link to access the latest updates from across the county.
When you open the channel, you can switch on notifications by clicking the bell symbol in the top right corner. No-one else will be able to see any of your details and we won't send constant messages - just regular updates on the biggest headlines. We also treat members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
Read our privacy notice here . Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
Follow CambridgeLive Facebook X (Twitter) Comment More On DWP Your Money.
