Over 30 civil society groups and welfare experts have written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall, warning that “official error” Universal Credit overpayment debt is a scandal in the making.
In the joint letter, Public Law Project (PLP) urges the Government to prevent hundreds of thousands of people from being pushed into unfair debt by the DWP’s own mistakes.
The facts:
- Unlike many other benefits, the DWP is able to directly recover Universal Credit (UC) overpayments that were caused by their own mistakes.
- In 2023/24, 686,756 new “official error” UC overpayment debts were entered on the DWP’s Debt Manager system.
- Many people are repaying up to tens of thousands of pounds through deductions to their Universal Credit, due to the DWP’s mistakes.
- This can lead to severe financial hardship, destructive cycles of debt, and struggles with mental and physical health.
Full article on the Public Law Project website
