What changes are being made to Universal Credit?
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00:00As of Monday, May 13th, people claiming Universal Credit are now expected to work at least 18
00:06hours per week. This new rule came in as part of broader reforms to the welfare system that
00:11the government announced in April. Work and Pension Secretary Mel Stride said this comes
00:17as the government look to radically expand support available to help people on their
00:21journey off benefits. But national charity Turn to Us has urged the government to reconsider
00:27this policy. The charity has warned that the change could have a, quote, drastic impact
00:32on people with long-term health conditions or irregular incomes. In a revealing YouGov
00:37poll, nearly two-thirds of UK adults described the benefits system as being overly confusing
00:42and difficult to navigate. The findings went on to report that the total amount of unclaimed
00:48income-related benefits and other support has risen to almost £23 billion a year. This
00:53comes as a 21% rise on the previous year, which is thought to highlight how families
00:58could be missing out on vital support.