LONDON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- London mayor Sadiq Khan Friday called on Prime Minister Theresa May's government to halt the roll out of her flagship welfare reform program, warning it could lead to thousands of families in the capital being made homeless.
Khan said in a City Hall statement he is deeply concerned about the effect of the government's Universal Credit on Londoners in most need of support. He has urged the government to pause the scheme until serious technical issues are fixed.
He said funding cuts to universal credit are also forecast to result in a 325 million U.S. dollars decrease for claimants in London per year by 2020/21, and the impact is already being felt in the capital.
More than 135,000 Londoners are claiming the new benefit, but problems have seen significant hardship for many Londoners, pushing some to the brink of homelessness, with more than a million children in London living in families currently claiming tax credits.
Figures from Tower Hamlets Council in London show that 80 percent of its council tenants claiming universal credit were behind on their rent.
Several London boroughs, including Croydon, Hounslow, Southwark and Tower Hamlets, revealed rent arrears across the boroughs had reached more than 10 million U.S. dollars since the scheme was rolled out, leaving more than 2,500 tenants at risk of eviction from their homes.
Next year the government is due to start moving more than two million people nationally from six benefits schemes to the new system, including more than 750,000 sick or disabled claimants.
Many of those with the most severe disabilities and long-term health conditions, including up to 122,000 in London, may need more intensive support, prompting Khan's call for the program to be put on hold until the serious issues with the system are resolved.
Khan said: "If the government does not change tack, the chaotic implementation of this system risks causing considerable disruption to the lives of thousands of Londoners.
"I urge the government to pause its rollout of Universal Credit until it is fit for purpose and encourage ministers to acknowledge the yawning gap between the way the scheme is supposed to work and the harsh realities experienced by those claiming it."
Alison Garnham, CEO of the charity, Child Poverty Action Group, said: "Evidence shows universal credit is bringing financial misery to thousands of families in London and elsewhere. The DWP's own survey found eight to nine months into their claim 40 percent of claimants were falling behind with bills or credit commitments or experiencing real financial difficulty. What we are seeing is not teething trouble in universal credit but fundamental design and funding problems."
Garnham said if the roll-out is not paused it will cause more misery to hard-pressed Londoners.
