Ministers delay rollout of Universal Credit to 21 jobcentres

Ministers have delayed the rollout of Universal Credit to 21 jobcentres.

Employment minister Alok Sharma announced that 13 centres with the highest concentration of Welsh speakers would have the rollout pushed back to December.

This is to allow time to ensure the Welsh language is available in the Universal Credit full service, said Mr Sharma.

The rollout is also being pushed back to December in Barrow, Cumbria, where the council is bringing its housing benefit administration back in-house.

Elsewhere, the rollout has been pushed back slightly in a number of jobcentres in Middlesbrough and Scotland, while being brought forward to this summer at centres in Hythe, Isle of Wight, and Walsall.

“The implementation of Universal Credit continues to make good progress,” Mr Sharma said in a written statement to Parliament.

“The full service is now operating in 250 jobcentres and we expect to complete national coverage and be in all jobcentres as planned by December 2018.”

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