An MP has slammed the roll out of Universal Credit, calling it “disastrous” after it left his constituents struggling to pay bills.

Mike Gapes, MP for Ilford South, has criticised the delivery of the new all-in-one benefits system which a union says is leaving millions of people across the UK struggling to pay rent and other costs.

The new system sees older benefits like employment support allowance and income support combined into one monthly payment and was rolled out in Redbridge from December 2017.

But Mike Gapes says Universal Credit has already led to some in Ilford South not being able to afford the basic necessities.

The MP says one of his constituents received less than a quarter of their usual entitlement in June this year due to being wrongly assessed as having double their actual income from May to June.

According to the MP, the consituent’s usual entitlement of £575 dropped to under £140 as a result of the miscalculation and they then fell into rent arrears, despite working to support their family.

Mike Gapes MP wrote to the Department for Work and Pensions in July to raise the issue and has since had a reply.

Alok Sharma, MP for Reading West, responded to Mr Gapes’ letter and said: “Universal Credit seeks to take earnings into account in a way that is fair and transparent.

“The amount of Universal Credit paid reflects, as closely as possible, the actual circumstances of a household each monthly assessment period.”

Mr Sharma explained how some constituents in reciept of Universal Credit will experience fluctuations in their entitlements due to how their employer registers their monthly pay.

He added: “We are aware that some employers do not follow Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ guidance and report the wrong pay date, which can have an effect on the Universal Credit payment.

“If this happens, claimants will need to raise this with their employer.”

As part of the government’s roll out, universal credit will eventually be received by 14,250 households in Ilford South alone.

Mr Gapes said: “This issue is symptomatic of the disastrous rollout of Universal Credit across the country so far. People in Ilford South have already fallen into significant financial difficulties as a result of the Government’s unwillingness to resolve this issue and, frankly, the DWP response is not good enough.

“Our benefits system must properly support those who are entitled to claim, and blaming the employers of Universal Credit receivers fails to address the root cause of the problem which is Tory incompetence leading to misery for ordinary working families.

“I urge the DWP to listen to Universal Credit claimants and take steps to ensure that the system is fair.”

Ilford South constituents who are experiencing difficulties as a result of the rollout of Universal Credit are encouraged to contact Mike Gapes via email at mike.gapes.mp@parliament.uk.