Council (Liverpool City Council) 19th September 2018 Part 4 of 4 (Universal Credit)
Channel: John Brace
Date: 2018-09-21

Council (Liverpool City Council) 19th September 2018 Part 4 of 4 (Universal Credit)

Filmed by John Brace https://johnbrace.com/ .

Council Chamber, Liverpool Town Hall, High St, Liverpool L2 3SW

The agenda and reports for this public meeting can be found on Liverpool City Council's website here http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=305&MId=16817 .

Continues from Liverpool City Council 19th September 2018 Part 3 of 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKz2SuIQ3uE .

9. Pause, Review and Fix Universal Credit by Councillors Jane Corbett, Ian Byrne and Mayor Joe Anderson OBE

Council is appalled at the Government’s determination to continue the roll out of Universal Credit (UC) in its current form given the damage this policy is already having on the lives of thousands of Liverpool residents and millions of UK citizens.  

Council, while continuing to be fully committed to support our most vulnerable citizens, is extremely concerned that, in the context of the 64% cut by Government to the Council’s general budget, the numbers of Liverpool citizens affected by Universal Credit at the end of the roll out and ‘planned migration’ will be at least 55,000.  

Council is angry that Government continues to deliberately ignore the worrying findings with respect to the negative impacts of Universal Credit.  These findings, coming from respected bodies such as the National Audit Office, the Resolution Foundation, the Child Poverty Action Group, the Children’s Society, the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, show that this policy, in its current form, is fundamentally flawed, does not meet many of the policy’s stated objectives, causes hardship and extreme  poverty, and severely undermines the health and wellbeing of thousands of Liverpool residents and millions of UK citizens. 

Council welcomes the Mayor of London’s recent call to ‘pause’ the roll out of Universal Credit citing the ‘significant threat of harm to vulnerable claimants of the ‘managed migration’ process’ due to commence in the summer of next year.

Council, appalled by Government cutting the legal aid budget drastically and so refusing to ensure citizens impacted by the Universal Credit policy have access to justice, still a basic human right in this country, supports the sponsored legal aid walk in October organized by Liverpool Law Society’s Access to Justice Committee. 

Council welcomes the visit to the UK in November of Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, and his statement that ‘particularly in a rich country…the persistence of extreme poverty is a political choice made by those with power’

Council therefore requests the Chief Executive write to:

·         Peter Schofield, Permanent Secretary, and Neil Couling, the Universal Credit Director General and Senior Responsible Owner at the Department for Work and Pensions, requesting them to use their various powers as set out in the Ministerial Code with immediate effect to ‘pause’ the roll out of Universal Credit and advice the Government of the need for a full policy review;

·         Esther McVey as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions requesting Universal Credit is ‘paused’ with immediate effect while a full review of the policy is carried out, the outcomes and recommendations of which to be reported to the relevant Government Select and Advisory Committees and  bring proposed changes to the policy before Parliament for debate and decision;

·         the Leaders of the ‘Core Cities’ and the Directly Elected Mayors in England asking them to consider this motion and request Government for Universal Credit to be paused with immediate effect, reviewed and fixed;

·         Bishop Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool, as joint Chair of the  Citywide Strategy Group for Fairness and Tackling Poverty, asking he requests the House of Bishops in the House of Lords to consider this motion and use all the powers at their disposal to ensure Universal Credit is paused with immediate effect, reviewed and fixed; and

Philip Alston the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights inviting him to Liverpool to see, first hand, the impact Universal Credit is having on the City and its people.

Speakers/Transcript

Cllr Mirna Juarez (Liberal Democrat) 0:00

Conservative government pause this universe, Universal Credit roll out. At the moment it's understood that there's 3, there's 1 million people have been um transferred to this benefit and err it must be paused and it has to be paused and we all have to support that. You know it's not going to be a success story to transfer 3 million people onto this Universal Credit. Thank you. Thank you. 

Cllr Richard Kemp CBE (Liberal Democrat) 0:34

Yes, briefly I support those for Councillor Juarez and the movers of the...

Cllr Tom Crone (Green) 2:31

Cllr Gary Millar (Labour) 3:09

Mayor Joe Anderson OBE (Labour) 3:49

Cllr Jane Corbett (Labour) 5:09