BBC show flags up council’s good work
MELTON Council’s successful piloting of Universal Credit - a new benefits initiative being rolled out nationally from October - has been highlighted on BBC1’s Sunday Politics Show.
Melton Council and Rushcliffe Council were chosen by the Government to work together and pilot Universal Credit.
Over the next four years all out-of-work benefits - including income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income support, tax credits and housing benefit - will be rolled into one benefit called Universal Credit to be paid directly to claimants.
Claims will mostly be managed online, but there will be face-to-face help for people with limited computer literacy skills or who don’t have a computer.
A segment of the BBC programme aired on Sunday, focused on the East Midlands, featured the work Melton Council is doing to help struggling families.
It included testimony from mum-of-three Tina Given who’d been homeless and out of work but now has her life back on track after receiving council support.
She said: “I was in a lot of debt and in a really bad place. I didn’t know where to go or who to ask for help.
“Thanks to the help of an employment adviser I’ve been able to move on. They listened to me and helped prioritise my life.”
The programme also highlighted how various agencies have been working together since moving into the council’s Parkside HQ.
Keith Aubrey, the council’s strategic director, said: “We need to look at how we can help people access and manage their claims digitally.
“We’re cautiously optimistic the partnership working we’re putting in place will give people the support they need in a better way than ever before.”
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Weather for Melton
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: North west
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