‘I had no clue why my universal credit claim was closed. I have not told DWP that my circumstances have changed. I had taken out a loan for £5000 whilst I made an appeal against the decision of the DWP; otherwise, I won’t be able to pay my rent.’ Mila’s situation raises a number of questions in terms of whether her Universal Credit claim should have been stopped by the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP), or if she should have obtained the loan in the first place to pay her rent or that the appropriate loan company should have even given Mila the loan. When I spoke to Mila though, her survival instinct drove her to make the application for the loan. If she had taken it out unethically, that no doubt raises more questions. The Welfare Reform Act 2012 introduced a number of changes in the benefit system. One of these changes was the introduction of Universal Credit. Instead of making a number of claims for means tested benefits - such as support for hou...
Ripon Ray has worked in the debt advice sector for over 14 years. His work includes front-line advice & training, developing advice services, quality framework and working with regulators. He created template letters to develop confidence among those struggling with debts. He founded a series of podcasts to show the link between debt and other sectors by getting industry experts together.