ALL new claimants of Universal Credit should be given a 25 per cent bonus payment to help their transition onto the new benefit scheme, an influential report has recommended.
The Tory think tank Bright Blue says a one-off “helping hand” payment equal to a week’s worth of their benefits should be paid into the claimant’s bank account.
It should be paid “as soon as possible” after they are successfully enrolled onto Universal Credit, the report says.
Among a range of other recommendations the Bright Blue paper suggests creating a new £1,000 lottery prize draw for Universal Credit claimants who can demonstrate they are consistently applying for new jobs.
The prize draw would hand the money to a handful of winners across the country every six months.
Benefit claimants who “consistently meet the most demanding conditionality requirements over a set time period should be entered” into the draw.
The report also calls for a dedicated smart phone app to be set up so claimants can track their payments in real time.
Senior Tory MP Johnny Mercer said: “This report proves that this life changing reform can be all it’s capable of being with continued focus and investment.”
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Handout/UK Parliament
