One million callers to Universal Credit helpline ‘abandoned’ before receiving help More than a million calls to the Universal Credit helpline have been abandoned before people received an answer to their […]

More than a million calls to the Universal Credit helpline have been abandoned before people received an answer to their problem, according to new figures.

Labour MP Jim McMahon obtained the figures through a written parliamentary question, which showed around 1.3 million calls were abandoned between September 2016 and October 2017. The calls amount to around 12 per cent of those made to the helpline at the time.

Mr McMahon said the sheer number of abandoned calls could mean claimants are giving up on trying to get through to the helpline and not getting the support they needed as a result.

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The worst period was shown to be in August, September and October, when more than 120,000 calls were abandoned each month.

“Everything we hear about Universal Credit suggests that it is failing in its purpose to provide help and support to vulnerable and low income claimants,” Labour MP Jim McMahon

‘Failing in its purpose’

Mr McMahon cited reports claiming staff manning the helpline were struggling to cope due to the volume of calls.

“Everything we hear about Universal Credit suggests that it is failing in its purpose to provide help and support to vulnerable and low income claimants,” he said.

“I worry that at this busy time of year, people needing help to make ends meet – many of whom are hardworking people – won’t get the support they need from the Government,” he added.

A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said the claims are “disingenuous” and there are “a number of reasons why someone might end their call”.

The department said calls were answered on average within five minutes.

Claimants ‘moving online’

Ninety five per cent of people now make their claims online, the department stated, while around 80 per cent of those needing to make a change to a claim now do so digitally.

Mr McMahon said there was no evidence to suggest that people abandoning calls to the helpline are moving online.

Last November the Government scrapped the charges to the Universal Credit helpline, after it was revealed people could have been paying up to 55p per minute to use the service.

Chancellor Philip Hammond announced changes to the overall Universal Credit system in last autumn’s Budget, including the removal of the seven day waiting period for claimants.

With additional reporting from PA