Greater Manchester’s estimated 400 rough sleepers could at least double if the Government fails to pause the rollout of Universal Credit (UC), the region’s mayor Andy Burnham has said.
Work and pensions secretary David Gauke has insisted the Government will continue with the full implementation of UC despite welfare experts warning further reforms are necessary to avoid a deepening rent arrears crisis.
More than a dozen Tory MPs have joined with opposition parties in calling for the rollout of the system to be paused over concerns claimants are facing a built-in six-week delay in payment.
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