Richard's Good News Story of the Week concerns a lady facing issues with her benefits and the change in system to Universal Credit.
"My basis philosophy is this: if you can work you should. Not only is it the right thing to do but it’s a massive boost to your own physical and mental health and also really benefits your family’s life chances too. It’s one of the reasons why I’m so supportive of helping get those with disability challenges into work too, whenever it’s practical.
This is why I broadly back the move to Universal Credit (UC) which brings all historic benefits together and - crucially - should mean you’re always both better of in work and always get more the more you work. The majority of people are better off on UC automatically and there is a very strict rule which means no-one should be forced onto UC if it would make them worse off, due to the effects on other support they get.
Bearing this in mind, Miss P of Basildon wrote to me, following my help with another issue she was facing, to see if I could provide assistance with a longstanding problem that she was having with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Having been receiving assistance via the old benefits system for years, Miss P was incorrectly advised to claim UC after a change in her circumstances. This would prove detrimental to Miss P, as you can not reverse to a legacy benefit after claiming for UC.
After some to and fro with the DWP over a few months, I managed to get a full review into the history of Miss P’s case. In an exceptional circumstance, they admitted they provided the wrong advice and that this had a direct adverse effect on Miss P’s life.
I am very happy to report that Miss P was awarded £2,500 to rectify the mistake made by the DWP, which includes payments made when they have made an error and the backdate of benefits to cover what she missed out on.
I’ve been having some fantastic wins helping people with the DWP issues recently, but I cannot always fix everything. What I can promise is that my team and I will always put in the effort to make sure constituents’ voices and issues are heard and try our hardest to fight for them.
If you’re banging your head against the wall due to a problem you need a hand with, then please contact me www.richardholden.org.uk/contact and I’ll be in touch."
