This report was deferred from the 4 July, 2018 meeting.

The Chair introduced a report (deferred from 4 July, 2018 meeting) which set out the findings arising from two scrutiny workshops held in February 2018 to consider the early impact of Universal Credit in Wirral. The workshops were commissioned by the Chairs of the four Overview & Scrutiny Committees in the 2017/18 municipal years and were open to all Overview & Scrutiny Members.

The report was originally scheduled to be presented at the Business Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 27 March 2018. As this meeting fell in the pre-election period, it was agreed by the Chair that the report would be deferred to the first meeting of the municipal year.

The first workshop was held on 20 February, 2018 with key senior council officers to get a better understanding of Universal Credit and the impact it had on operational services. The second workshop was held on 27 February, 2018 and looked at Universal Credit from the perspective of a number of external organisations and Council teams that engaged with residents over Universal Credit.

Nicola Dixon, Business Unit Manager, Transaction Management gave an update on the current operational situation following the migration to Universal Credit Full Service. She was able to share the key points emerging from the DWPs most recent Universal Credit Update Bulletin:

·  Supported Accommodation Consultation outcome – housing costs to remain with Local Authorities.

·  Managed migration programme commences 2019, for those in receipt of specific legacy benefits and extends through to 2023.

·  Further provision for those in receipt of Severe Disability Premium.

·  Universal Credit Advances – may now be made on-line.

·  Corporate Appointees – present process in place under review as an identified need for improvement.

Responding to comments from Members Nicola Dixon stated that only 25% of people referred by the DWP for Personal Budgeting Support, the service facilitated by the Council’s One Stop Shop Customer Service Advisors and funded by the DWP, were turning up for their appointments but acknowledged that the section would struggle to deal with the numbers if all the clients did turn up. With regard to the impact on veterans she would need to seek further information from the Homelessness section as to the effect. Work was ongoing with partner agencies with continued close liaison between Customer Service leads and the DWP at a local level. Housing Benefit staff had supported the local Job Centre staff in the initial transition to Full Service, with particular regard to supporting their clients in securing any entitlement to Council Tax Support. A lot of work was taking place front of house to try and help those people anxious or possibly daunted by the process of making applications for Universal Credit ‘on-line’ and managing their ‘account’ on-line with arrangements in place at libraries and One Stop Shops to this end.

Responding to further comments Nicola Dixon commented that there was a relatively recently published Liverpool City Region Welfare Reform Impact report which encompassed Universal Credit which Members might find helpful in understanding the nature and any extent of reported impacts. She also advised that the national DWP / Local Authority Welfare Steering Group minutes and terms of reference, might equally be of interest to Members and could be accessed at the relevant LA pages on ‘Gov.UK’.

Primarily the matter of take-up of Council Tax Support, now a local as opposed to national scheme was noted as a continued matter of concern particularly given the need to apply for this separately and in addition to making a Universal Credit claim. Nicola Dixon advised that this matter was consistent across the majority of Local Authority areas and was something which practitioners were actively trying to address.

A Member stated that the numbers entitled who were not claiming was quite significant and that there was plenty of scope for further scrutiny.

Another Member suggested that although the DWP’s constitution prohibited their staff from attending political forums, an officer from the DWP could be invited to come along to give an update but without being subject to questioning.

The Chair suggested that they could alternatively be invited to a future workshop.

A Member suggested that the Scrutiny Review should be circulated to all Overview and Scrutiny Committees and representations should then be made to the LGA.

On a motion by Councillor Tom Usher, duly seconded, it was –

Resolved –

(1)  That the suggested actions in Appendix 2 to the Scrutiny Review, including those ‘asks of the Government’, be agreed as recommendations from this Committee and an officer write to the Government, with regard to those particular recommendations.

(2)  That the Scrutiny Review should be circulated to all Overview and Scrutiny Committees and representations should then be made to the LGA.

(3)  That the proposal to schedule further scrutiny workshops in the municipal year and consider the areas of scrutiny focus be agreed, including an invitation to officers from the DWP to attend.