North Swindon MP Discusses Positives Of Universal Credit & Refurbished Job Centre

Local MP and former Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson, has visited the newly refurbished Swindon Job Centre to see how the changes are benefiting staff and local residents, as well as to discuss the ongoing rollout of Universal Credit.

Swindon residents now visiting the town’s Job Centre are now met with a new, bright and vibrant space, kitted out with new computers free to use and modern approaches to finding the role best suited to applicants. And applicants are now able to access Universal Credit for the first time.

It means that thanks to Universal Credit and our excellent Job Centre staff we are seeing an increase in the success rates of people moving off benefits and into work, as unemployment remains at record low levels and more than 8,400 jobs have been created in Swindon since 2010.

Universal Credit is simplifies the benefits system by rolling six previously complicated benefits (including housing benefit, jobseekers allowance and tax credits) into one simple monthly payment. The idea is that by simplifying the system, all of the guidance and support from Job Centre staff will go towards getting people into work, rather than spending all of their time navigating the various benefits.

The system also ensures that every single person going through the jobseekers process will be assigned individual work coaches who will help with every aspect of finding work, including help with training that may be required as well as finding childcare. For the first time ever, people are being supported by their work coach once they are in work, to ensure that they remain in work and get the support needed to stay in work and move up.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “Universal Credit is one of the biggest and most important changes to the way we support people into work. It simplifies the previous complex benefit system and provides individual, dedicated work coaches to support local residents looking for work. We are also lucky to have a number of engaging and enthusiastic staff at the job centre in Swindon who are actively working alongside the business community and can tailor the training that jobseekers receive so that they are able to fill vacancies. They now have a bright and vibrant centre to support fellow local residents in and I know they will continue to be a credit to our town”.