14,500 residents moved onto Universal Credit

The Labour party claimed this week that the new scheme, which has also been hit by delays ahead of a complete rollout, is a “vehicle for cuts”, and said it was “causing immense hardship”.

Department for Work and Pension figures show that 14,572 benefit claimants in Kirklees had been moved onto the new Universal Credit system by last month.

It is five times the number of people enrolled on it in September 2017.

Reports have suggested that the rollout of the Government’s flagship welfare change is now not expected to be fully operational until the end of 2023.

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Margaret Greenwood said that 3.2 million families with children could lose around £50 a week under Universal Credit.

She added: “Universal Credit, the Government’s flagship social security programme, has been beset with flaws in its design and delivery. It’s causing immense hardship for many people wherever it is rolled out.”

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey said that the rollout of Universal Credit would continue.

She said: “We will make sure we get this benefit right. You know for why? Because the genuine concerns of the people on our backbenches want to get it right.”