UNIVERSAL Credit is now available at 623 job centres across the country, including Alton, Bordon and Petersfield.

Introduced into East Hampshire on Monday, the new system is central to the Government’s welfare reforms, replacing six existing benefits with one monthly payment. These include jobseeker’s allowance, income support, employment and support allowance, working tax credit, child tax credit, and housing benefit.

Designed to ensure people will always be better off in work, the system sweeps away the complexities, traps and confusions of the previous system. It also supports people who have a job to progress in work and increase their earnings.

In addition, Universal Credit is expected to have a positive effect on business as, under the new system, more jobseekers should be willing to consider short term or irregular work, it should assist flexible working by making it easier to use existing employees for overtime and peak-time shifts, and employers should have access to a wider pool of job applicants.

Commenting on the shift away from the multi-benefit system, East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds said: “Universal Credit represents the biggest structural reform of our social security and support to work system in decades. At its heart is the principle that it must always pay to move into work, and it must always pay more to work more, and it will get rid of the sticking points in the system at 16 hours’ and 30 hours’ work.

“It also gives more generous childcare support to mums moving back into the workplace on a small number of hours, and makes the transition from not working to working smoother. It is a gradual roll out but when complete it will have been a major overhaul of the system, and a positive one.”

According to the Department for Work and Pensions, once fully rolled out Universal Credit is set to boost national employment by 300,000 with the latest figures showing that for every 100 people who find work under the old jobseekers allowance system, 113 Universal Credit claimants will have moved into a job. Already, one third of those claiming the new benefit are employed, and once fully rolled out Universal Credit will make around three million of Britain’s households better off.

To help people find work quicker, JobCentre work coaches and recruiters have teamed up to create the daily jobseeker – an online resource with tips and advice on how claimants can get into work.

With access to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ real-time earnings data, benefit payments can now be calculated exactly, and adjusted automatically to eliminate overpayments and ensure people receive the correct level of support both in and out of work.

The Department for Work and Pensions is confident that Universal Credit will reduce fraud significantly, saving taxpayers more than £1bn each year.