Terms & Conditions

[Darren Tompkins]

Page 5 of the latest HB Direct has an article on UC and part of the article states ‘Although under consideration, there will be no firm decisions made on how delivery of UC should be organised in the longer term until 2015 – the end of this Parliament – as we need to learn from early implementation’ – so it looks like we might not have to worry about being out of a job in 2013 🙂

[Lee Fearon]

Darren

A bit confusing really, as it says everything and nothing.

DWP/HMRC will be responsible for dministering UC from and LAs will have a role in terms of legacy benefits.

But paradoxically, no firm decision on long term admimistration of UC until 2015.

This raises the question as to what form UC will take in 2013 and appears to suggest it won’t be “bells and whistles” version. Could be, as some have already suggested, that UC in 2013 will only include welfare streams currently administered by DWP, with Housing Costs and possibly the Tax Credit element being phased in afterwards.

[Kay_Tade]

The comment caught my eye as well. Are they saying what I think they are saying? 0:)

[Dawnie]

Come hell or high water they will pay UC in October 2013 BUT and it is a big but, I believe it will only be for a small category of claimants getting out of work JSA/IS benefits and probably for those with no housing costs?

Dawn

[nickkeogh]

But if that is the case then what happens if someone who is out of work in October 2013 then finds a job in November 2013 (which is the main purpose of UC)? Will customers have to do a version of the soft-shoe shuffle between UC and HB until UC incorporates housing costs?

[Anonymous]

Surely it’s about how the delivery of the service can be outsourced to the private sector. I think we are naive if we imagine there will still be a role for LAs

[John Boxall]

My understanding is that given the scale of cuts planned The Government are a little nervous about allowing the private sector to be seen to be making a profit from outsourcing.

The recent revalations over Winterbourne View ‘care home’ and Southern Cross doesnt help

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery. The blossom is blighted, the leaf is withered, the god of day goes down upon the dreary scene, and—and in short you are for ever floored.

Wilkins Micawber, Ch12 David Copperfield

[Lee Fearon]

I think the real danger is that some part of UC will devolve to LAs. However, the funding provided is likely to be inadequate,(take the Council Tax replacement proposals as an example).

This could result in LAs outsourcing this work. Thus the Government achieves its aim without getting its hand dirty and when it all goes pear shaped, the LAs are left holding the baby.

Brilliant!

[John Boxall]

[quote=Lee Fearon]I think the real danger is that some part of UC will devolve to LAs. However, the funding provided is likely to be inadequate,(take the Council Tax replacement proposals as an example).

This could result in LAs outsourcing this work. Thus the Government achieves its aim without getting its hand dirty and when it all goes pear shaped, the LAs are left holding the baby.

Brilliant![/quote]

But how do you outsource if the funding is inadequate? Either you find more money from somewhere, offer a contract that does not cover all the Council’s duty’s or set the thing up so that either nobody will touch it or it fails.

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery. The blossom is blighted, the leaf is withered, the god of day goes down upon the dreary scene, and—and in short you are for ever floored.

Wilkins Micawber, Ch12 David Copperfield

[nickkeogh]

I really can’t see how LAs will have any part of UC devolved to them unless they put themselves forward as a willing provider. And with cutbacks being made across the board how many authorities will be wanting to take more services on (acting as an outsourced agent itself) if they would then have to outsource it again???

[Lee Fearon]

John

It depends on the task.

If it’s anything that can be done remotely via a call centre all offsite processing hub, there may be considerable savings to be had in terms of ataff wages/condtions and accommodation costs.

Sorry to be so pessimistic, but I don’t think the latest care home scandal is going to stop the outsourcing of public sector work in it’s tracks, the best we can hope for is that it may slow the process.

The whole of the Government’s political agenda appears to be centred around opening up public services to private companies. This is happening in health, education, and now probably welfare.

[John Boxall]

At the moment the governments Political Agenda appears to be centered around creating mass unrest or even a revolution!

J) J) J)

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery. The blossom is blighted, the leaf is withered, the god of day goes down upon the dreary scene, and—and in short you are for ever floored.

Wilkins Micawber, Ch12 David Copperfield

[Kay_Tade]

Yes, you can mess with my health and education but don’t mess with my welfare. 8)

[Lee Fearon]

Nick

Sorry our posts appear to have crossed.

I feel administration of UC will be seen as attractive to certain LA’s, particularly the big metropolitan boroughs, as it will give them a greater degree of control over rent collection in the social sector and welfare in general. Even of the function is outsourced, the council will control the contract and could therefore prioritise claims appropriately. – I’m not saying it’ll work though as the history of HB is littered with the failure of outsorced contracts. But’ it doesn’t seem to prevent LAs from persisting.

John

Difficult to disagree with your last post in terms of the political idealogy.

[nickkeogh]

Fair point Lee but will authorities be allowed to pay housing costs direct to themselves bearing in mind the government’s desire for customers to control all of their own budgets?

[Author]

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