Financial experts have warned claimants of a big change which is due to Universal Credit. According to the experts these changes mean claimants could face losing money.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have issued new Universal Credit rules. These new rules mean that households would have to attend an intensive two week programme to try and get them back into work.
The new strict job centre rules would see the requirement to meet work coaches increased to daily over a two-week period, according to newspaper The Times.
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As reported by Birmingham Live, these new changes mean that those who refuse could be out of pocket by £334 a month, with their entire standard allowance potentially being revoked for up to three months, costing them £1,002.
The programme is already being trialled in four parts of the UK. Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions secretary, said: "Evidence shows that the longer a person is out of work the harder it is for them to return, and it is at this 13-week point that a claimant’s likelihood of securing employment begins to decrease."
The programme is currently being trialled in the East Midlands alongside three other areas. Anybody who is awaiting work-capability assessment is exempt from the programme.
Other exemptions are made for those required to do less than 35 hours a week of work search activity and those already exempt from searching for jobs.
A DWP spokesperson said: "We are always looking at new and innovative ways to support people with different needs to find and succeed in employment. In the first half of 2022 we supported half a million benefit claimants into work and our recent changes to Universal Credit will build on this by providing hundreds of thousands more with intensive support to get better-paid work and boost long-term prospects.”
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