AFTER another long day working in the jobcentre on Thursday, I made the mistake of going onto Twitter.

I saw our local MP Johnny Mercer claiming that universal credit’s biggest challenge was the bad press it gets.

In subsequent tweets he said he had recently met staff working on the universal credit roll-out in Plymouth, who told him that “fear” was one of the main obstacles for people receiving the right benefit.

The implication is that universal credit would work fine if it wasn’t for scare stories in the media and, if everyone was just a bit more positive, claimants could get the money they need and jobcentre staff would be able to more adequately assist those most in need.

This is a gross distortion of the very real problems that exist in administering universal credit and the very real difficulties faced by claimants. 

So-called “scare stories” about claimant poverty are so harrowing because they are true. My colleagues and I see the despair and isolation that people feel every day.

The effects of Esther McVey’s leaked comments saying “some people” would be £200 worse off on universal credit will have a real impact on both claimants and staff. 

What are we jobcentre staff meant to say when we are confronted with claimants who ask if they will be one of those with less money?

Morale is also at an all-time low because there are not enough staff to help claimants due to cuts.

The IT systems are beset with problems and the service is almost entirely online. This presents major challenges to people who are not IT literate and those with a disability.

Only last week, I simply couldn’t help a claimant who was almost completely deaf as they struggled to use the online system. I have had similar experiences with people suffering from mental health conditions.

The emphasis on claimants making and maintaining claims online means that the opportunity for myself and my colleagues to have productive face-to-face discussions with claimants is significantly reduced.

The overwhelming majority of workers helping to administer universal credit want to help provide a humane and caring system.

But it’s impossible when delays to receiving urgently needed money are built into the system. This delay drives many to desperation and in some cases claimants have committed suicide.

No amount of positive spin could magically make the online system more accessible or conjure up more staff.

No wonder I am fearful about the millions more being put onto universal credit next year under the current government plans. The roll-out so far has been an abject failure.

If Mercer or any of his colleagues really cared about the plight of benefit claimants and the staff that try so hard to help them, he would listen to the day-to-day problems experienced by myself and other jobcentre staff and act on them.