One of the councils piloting the rollout of Universal Credit has warned it has ‘deep concerns' over the scheme.

Great Yarmouth BC has written to work and pensions secretary Damian Green calling for an urgent investigation into the impact of Universal Credit on its residents.

The letter warned that the way the process was managed had caused major concerns for landlords and councillors, and ‘unnecessary' stress for claimants.

It read: ‘For a range of reasons, Universal Credit claims are taking longer than originally expected to process - eight weeks or more. 

‘Delayed payments mean that private landlords are facing tough decisions to start eviction processes and some have now suggested they will not be interested in taking any new tenants who are in receipt of Universal Credit.'

The letter argued that unless the Department for Work and Pensions can improve communication with landlords, the housing benefit element of Universal Credit should be ‘immediately suspended'.

It also called for homeless applicants to be excluded from the scheme. 

‘Given that, by their nature, homeless applicants tend to be the most vulnerable people in society and often have complex needs, there is a strong argument for this group to be excluded from at least the housing costs element of the scheme,' the letter added.