Revealed: One Million ‘Abandoned’ Calls To Universal Credit Helpline
Universal Credit helpline were abandoned before being answered last year, figures reveal.

Some 1,300,698 calls were dropped before an advisor picked up between September 2016 and October 2017.

The average length of abandoned calls was five minutes and 19 seconds, the government said in response to a ministerial question.

During the period to which the figures relate, calls to the 0345 helpline were charged at a rate of up to 55p a minute for some users.

While 0345 numbers are free for many landline and mobile contract customers, they carry a charge on some pay as you go tariffs.

Universal Credit claimants told HuffPost UK how the cost of calling the helpline racked up as they tried to manage complex claims.

The cost of calls to the helpline sparked controversy in September after a Commons showdown at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Theresa May was challenged by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to scrap the charge entirely, a move the government initially resisted.

But the fee was eventually scrapped after a climbdown by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officials who conceded that claimants did, in fact, need to use the phone line to undertake certain tasks.

The move came after HuffPost UK confronted the DWP with detailed accounts of hardship from those forced to use the helpline.

We reported previously on the long wait endured by claimants before advisors responded, revealing how the cost of calls could have been as much as 11 percent of someone’s weekly Universal Credit allowance.

‘No cost to public purse’

Labour MP Jim McMahon asked the government to provide the figures and explain whether there was a cost to the public purse for abandoned calls.

Damian Hinds, who was until this week’s reshuffle a DWP minister, responded to McMahon on Monday saying there was no cost to taxpayers.

Hinds, who is now Education Secretary, said: “Universal Credit Full Service is a digital service designed to enable customers to manage their own data and account online at a time which is convenient for them.

“As well as giving them access to online statements for payment information, and their journal for interacting with their dedicated Case Manager and Work Coach, customers are able to report changes online when they would previously have called us.”

He added: “There was no cost to the public purse for abandoned calls as this forms part of the contract we have with BT, and following the introduction of the free phone numbers to Universal Credit helplines in November 2017 there will no longer be a cost to the customer.”

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/universal-credit-helpline-abandoned-calls-figures_uk_5a55eddde4b0d614e48b1f6d

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Toby Young Was Right To Resign But The Government Still Has Questions To Answer

After serious pressure by the Labour Party, Toby Young finally did the right thing and resigned this week from his position at the Office for Students, a position he should never have been given.

Toby Young’s appalling tweets, articles and attitude shocked me. Violent, sexist and homophobic language has no place in our society. His comments on those with disabilities were extremely offensive and we all have a duty to condemn this language in the strongest possible terms. 

Young’s appointment was wrong from the start. His views made him completely unfit to hold public office.  The fact that just over a year ago someone was brave enough to place a sexual harassment policy on his desk underlying his unacceptable behaviour, only for Toby to respond by hiring a stripper to the workplace on a Bring Your Daughter to Work Day speaks volumes.

My joint letter along with Angela Rayner to the Prime Minister last week highlighted serious concerns. Labour’s call to reverse the appointment was also backed by the public – over 220,000 people at the time of writing signed a petition calling on him to be sacked.

Yet the Government buried their heads in the sand, refusing to accept that the appointment was a grave mistake despite the overwhelming opposition. They even ignored some in their own party who could not defend this appointment.

What is most worrying about the Government’s response is the way in which they flagrantly disregarded legitimate concerns. It was like ‘we are the establishment and we don’t care what you say’. A leaked briefing showed the Government calling on their backbenchers to deflect criticism. If we are to stamp out sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace we must all call it out when we see it.

Jo Johnson, at the time Universities Minister, labelled opponents as ‘armchair critics’. And his brother, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, called it a “ridiculous outcry” and lauded Toby Young’s so-called “caustic wit” when Young was appointed.

It is good news that Toby Young has now resigned but the Government still has serious questions to answer. This is essential in order to change attitudes and build fairness into the system.

Theresa May said herself she was not impressed by Young’s language yet she was too weak to deal with it

On process, we need to know if the Nolan Principles – as outlined in the application – were applied. We also must know exactly who the independent assessor was, and why the Department for Education chose to exaggerate Toby Young’s qualifications.

On suitability, we need to know if the Department for Education’s guidelines on the seven principles of public life were upheld, as Young’s history of misogyny and insulting language appears to make a mockery of these guidelines.

And finally the Government must address merit. The Prime Minister said that people would be promoted on the basis of merit, not privilege. Yet the fact Young was appointed screams privilege and establishment.

I do not know whether this was a case of giving a job to one of the boys and a mate of the Johnson’s. But what we do know for sure is that this appointment signifies a government which is hopelessly out of touch.

The Government must now face the music and answer for this failure. It is unfathomable that key people in the Government were seemingly unaware of Toby Young’s torrid history and is a damning reflection on their competence.

Theresa May said herself she was not impressed by Young’s language yet she was too weak to deal with it. She in fact endorsed Toby Young, which seriously calls into question her judgment.

This disastrous affair, in addition to the calamitous cabinet reshuffle, adds up to yet another chaotic week for the Government and just goes to prove that Theresa May is Prime Minister in name only. Well, if Theresa May cannot lead, then she must leave.

Dawn Butler is the shadow women and equalities secretary and Labour MP for Brent Central

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/toby-young_uk_5a55ce99e4b0b117f880900f

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AfD attackiert Grünen-Politikerin Roth – und will sie absetzen lassen

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