UNIVERSAL CREDIT remains universally discredited. It provides significant disincentives for working parents to increase their income. Universal credit was supposed to simplify and improve access to social security, make it easier for people to manage the move into work and reduce administrative costs; however with its in-built rules and cuts it entirely fails to meet these aims.

When the Conservatives introduced universal credit (UC) back in 2011, it should have been an opportunity to build on Labour’s game-changing tax credit system. By consolidating various benefit systems, UC was meant to make the benefit system easier to navigate. The system could have brought about improvements for those most in need. The Conservatives, however, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, by severely cutting funding — hitting the poorest households hardest.

Usdaw has consistently called for a fundamental overhaul of universal credit and how the government supports the incomes of working people. We need a proper social security system that supports families and provides a proper safety net. This week we bring that call to the Trades Union Congress in Brighton.