Pressure grows to make universal credit helpline free of charge

[T_i_B]

1. Universal Credit helpline charges scrapped

Glad they will be ripping off the poorest and most vulnerable in our society a bit less, but there still appears to be many issues with the way that Universal Credit is being administered.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41659504

People will no longer be charged for calling the government's Universal Credit helpline after criticism from MPs and campaigners.

Welfare Secretary David Gauke said the helpline, charged at local call rates which could be up to 55p a minute, would be free by the end of the year.

Earlier this month ministers approved a major extension of the programme to a further 45 job centres across the country, with another 50 to be added each month, despite concerns about its implementation and claims that it was causing real hardship for thousands of families.

Almost a quarter of all claimants have had to wait more than six weeks to receive their first payment in full because of errors and problems evidencing claims.