Please sign up here for our forthcoming event on Universal Credit (UC), which is the Government’s radical new approach to benefits for people of working age.  It brings together 6 separate benefits for people who are in and out of work including Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).  We have arranged a special briefing for disabled people and disability organisations to help them prepare for this change.

During the autumn first time claimants for benefits such as Housing Benefit and Tax Credit as well as Jobseekers Allowance and ESA will now be required to claim UC.  At a later stage existing claimants for these individual benefits will be transferred to UC.

Universal Credit is designed with a number of features to prepare people for work; it has to be claimed on-line, it is paid only 5 weeks after the claim is lodged, and claimants have to complete regular reports on their activities and changes in their circumstances (this includes people in the Support Group on ESA who are deemed unfit for work).

Lesley Gavin from the Department for Work and Pensions and James Alden from South Gloucestershire Council will explain how to claim UC and what claimants have to do to keep receiving the benefit.  Chantel Watts from South Gloucestershire Citizens Advice will talk about what help they can give claimants for UC.

This will take place on 5th October followed by a short AGM at Badminton Road Methodist Church, Badminton Rd, Downend, Bristol BS16 6NU.

Registration from 1pm for a 1.30pm start. The event will wrap up around 4pm, with a short AGM to follow.

Please register your attendance.

Any queries, please contact us on contact (at) sgden (dot) org (dot) uk