Almost a million people have successfully applied for Universal Credit in the past two weeks, figures announced have revealed.
The Department of Work and Pensions has confirmed the huge spike in claimants - almost ten times the average amount - that it has seen during these “unprecedented times”.
It total, around 950,000 people across the UK have successfully applied for Universal Credit since March 16. There are no details on the number of people who have claimed unsuccessfully.
March 16 was the date that Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced to the nation that people should avoid non-essential travel in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
In the 15 days since then, the number of claimants has risen by around 850,000 - with the average for a normal two-week period being around 100,000.
Universal Credit was introduced in 2013 in an attempt to simplify the welfare system.
It’s designed in such a way that six different benefits and tax credits are paid to the claimant in one monthly payment.
It replaced the previous system which paid benefits in categories known as housing benefit, child tax credit, income support, working tax credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, and Employment and Support Allowance.
People who may be eligible to claim for Universal Credit include those who are out of work or on low income.
The UK Government has reiterated that the numbers released for the period between March 16 and March 31 are not a reflection of unemployment figures, pointing out that people claiming Universal Credit have a range of different circumstances.
The Department of Work and Pensions says it is coping with the increased demand and that more staff are being recruited.
A spokesman for the department said: “Universal Credit is delivering in these unprecedented times.
“With such a huge increase in claims there are pressures on our services, but the system is standing up well to these and our dedicated staff are working flat out to get people the support they need.
“We’re taking urgent action to boost capacity – we’ve moved 10,000 existing staff to the help on the front line and we’re recruiting more.”
