back to article Universal Credit has never delivered bang for buck, but now there's no turning back – watchdog

The UK government's embattled Universal Credit programme hasn't delivered value for money and has caused some claimants hardship but is now so embedded there is no alternative but to plough on, the National Audit Office has said. In a damning report published today, the spending watchdog questioned whether the disastrous …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Absolute, total and utter bollocks.

    No reason how far down the line it is, there is no reason at all why it can't be binned off and start again.

    May I quote as a precedent the Community Charge, a.k.a. the Poll Tax.

  2. SVV

    Agile My Arse

    Sick of hearing this word in relation to this trainwreck of a project. Any attempt to combine 6 completely different, complex monolithic systems into a single one at once cannot and will never be "agile". If they even had a vague idea of what the vaguest principle of agile development was, they would have picked the easiest benefit first to transition to the new system, just implemented that one and called it Universal Credit. Then the remaining benefits would be added one by one, working up to the most complex last, so that lessons learned during each one can be useful as the complexity level gradually increases. That would have been vaguely agile, rather than the failed monolithic waterfall project this really is.

    Any chance the Register can put in an FOI request to see what IT staff turnover on the project is like? I bet it's pretty horrendous, as people realise that having "implementation of Universal Credit" on their cv is most likely going to lead to them sitting in a jobcentre somewhere applying through the system themselves.

  3. Adrian Midgley 1

    Because you are not a member of your constituency party

    Hold your nose, and join.

  4. sanmigueelbeer

    Don't worry. There's only one way to fix this: Outsource to IBM (what worst could happen)

  5. Arthur the cat Silver badge

    is now so embedded there is no alternative but to plough on

    Can someone explain the sunk costs fallacy to these bozos?

  6. Roj Blake Silver badge

    If you think UC is bad...

    ...wait until you hear about the fiascos involving PIP (formerly Disability Benefit).

    In one case, the office to attend the interview could only be reached by going up some stairs. Fail to attend the interview, you don't get your benefit. If you get out of your wheelchair to pull yourself up the stairs then you're not sufficiently disabled to warrant getting the money.

    Kafka and Heller wrote satires, not instruction manuals.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: If you think UC is bad...

      The simple way to proceed is put some of the DWP administratoid muppets on UC, to see how they get on.

  7. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

    The department had "significantly overestimated" the number of claimants that would be able to use it, the report said, as just 38 per cent succeeded, compared with the expected 90 per cent.

    That's not so much a significant overestimate of the numbers being able to use it (by 52%), but more significantly, an underestimate of the number of people not able to use it (by a whopping 520%)

    1. annodomini2
      Devil

      Ahh but..

      They are not using it, ergo they are not Unemployed.

      No money going out and an unemployment statistics win.

  8. steviebuk Silver badge

    So does this mean...

    .."The Department for Work and Pensions took an agile approach, meaning it could adjust its plans – but the NAO said incorporating such changes meant it had to delay or slow down the rollout."

    That "agile" is bullshit then. As a few of us have thunk all along.

    Or, as always, have the government paid overpaid consultants to spin them bullshit, that they've believed despite all the warnings. Then said once failed "Lessons have been learned" and then just gone and done the same shit all over again. Hmmm.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: So does this mean...

      They use the "Fr" variant of agile - "Fragile".

      Seems to be quite common in government projects.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The problem will solve itself.

    The poor people will have starved soon, problem solved.

  10. 89724102372714581892524I9755670349743096734346773478647852349863592355648544996313855148583659264921

    Anyone who seeks a position of power has issues.

    Politicians should be chosen like people are selected for Jury Duty.

    1. Wellyboot Silver badge

      Re: Anyone who seeks a position of power has issues.

      >>Politicians should be chosen like people are selected for Jury Duty.<<

      With a few simple rules this couldn't be any worse than now, it would kill the current party system that's giving friends & children a first class seat on the gravy train.

      Small list of locals to vote on per seat?

      Would selection for cabinet positions be by relevant experience?

      PM to picked randomly from cabinet?

      Re-election allowed?

      Current or ex jail birds, Bankrupts, Current company directors to be excluded? (add to list at your pleasure)

      How do we get the turkeys in situ to vote for xmas?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Anyone who seeks a position of power has issues.

        Mark Thomas (of Channel 4's Comedy Product) had the best idea. All politicians served a five year term, then were walked out of Parliament and shot. We'd either get complete altruists or mentalists - and either would do a better job than the current lot.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Anyone who seeks a position of power has issues.

      Not really. Some of us do have hopes for fixing things. Sadly, If its like locally however (an Australian State) they will have rules to be able to block the progress of any who are not anointed by the powers of the party you wish to join. How do you piss the party off and get it against you.

      Easy. Expect competent leadership, challenge it when it isn't. Oh and bring more people into the party. Yes this is one of the major political parties. A lovely little point in their constitution giving the overarching body the ability to veto any elected position in any branch. You would think it would be used rarely for real troublemakers. But no. Its politics so they use it promote those they want. You setup a branch full, they will put in their chosen over the top. Those that aren't a potential threat, but sound vaguely competent. Those that will owe their masters a metric fukton. Oh and quietly let you know if you dare go for a position of authority. You will be blocked, even if you have the numbers.

      Democracy's a very fragile thing. You have to take care of democracy cause sure as hell, given a chance people will take it away from you.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    "The UK government hasn't delivered value for money and has caused some claimants hardship but is now so embedded there is no alternative but to plough on"

    FTFY

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Use of the word "Agile"

    "Meanwhile, the NAO noted that the DWP is using its agile approach as a reason not to set smaller milestones for delivering automation and the remaining functionality the project promised."

    ^^^ I haven't read the full report, but that does sound like the diametric opposite of "agile" as I understand it, i.e. an approach that dilutes project risk by delivering *more* frequently in smaller increments

  13. TheSkunkyMonk

    The only good thing about this is the name! Why not dump all the paperwork and pay every British citizen a universal income instead of the current benefits system, a basic living allowance to cover the costs of life allowing us to work towards better things and brighter futures, it would ease the labor market and make companies give better benefits to get those workers, it would lead to people living a more varied and rewarding life instead of the stress and divides we currently have! Lets keep the name and make a change for the better of society instead of for the greed of others.

    1. BinkyTheMagicPaperclip Silver badge

      It's not that simple. Leaving aside whether basic income would work, and historic allowances etc there will always be people that require more than the basic income. PIP, Motability and others will always have to be administered (hopefully better than the vindictive way it's implemented at the moment).

      If companies are providing better benefits, the money has to come from somewhere, not to mention the cost of covering multiple people doing the same job, if you're deciding to spend <n> days a week doing non work activities because of a basic income.

  14. BinkyTheMagicPaperclip Silver badge

    UC is fundamentally a good idea

    It's the implementation that sucks, and the fact not enough money is being pumped into it.

    Who said this? No, not me - the architect of Universal Credit, on Radio 4.

    So the guy has designed a system that prevents people being stuck in a benefit trap, and the government has ignored the resources that are required to make it work.

    He knows it should work, but isn't. The goverment knows it needs to be putting in more resources to fix it, but won't. The electorate are supporting the party most keen on cracking down on welfare.

    It doesn't work when you do it on the cheap and have no flexibility.

    Likewise with the bedroom tax - the principle is sound, but taxing people when there are no properties to avoid the charge is wrong.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: UC is fundamentally a good idea

      The government won't fix it, because it was a coalition policy and they no longer have to suck up to the Lib Dems.

      Here is a good plain English (or rather Scottish) summary of the good principles and bad implementation of UC coming from the SNP's Mhairi Black. It's well worth a listen.

      In other words, the tories never liked UC and would quite like it killed stone dead. It's a coalition compromise that they've failed to completely butcher yet.

  15. DaveB

    Moonlighting

    I think the real problem is that the UC developers have been moonlighting down at TSB(Spain)

  16. Tom Paine
    FAIL

    Google: "Tony Collins Crash"

    n/t ....

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Disgusting for some and not for others

    I have claimed the old job seekers briefly on about three, maybe four occasions over about 23 years (working from 12 to 35) due to circumstances out with my control and have faced nothing but problems, hardship, stress and as close as I would like to get to a nervous breakdown! The DWP along with my local council have let me down time after time in situations where my need was the most desperate and in the end I had to pull myself out out of it. Although I was one of the lucky ones that on occasion I had help from family and friends. Although that can cause problems in itself. I have only recently joined universal credits and had my doubts and worries as most of u probably have and especially cause of the major problems I have had in the past where the DWP are concerned! Although and so much of a major shock and surprise to myself after my past experiences I have nothing but good things to say about universal credit and the DWP. They have made my transition to universal credits very easy and efficiently and have helped me as much as I consider they possibly could. This came as a major surprise and shock to me as I expected problems and stress from the start and beyond due to past experience bit so far anyway, I have had everything I need, want and are entitled to. I feel a lot of the universal credit problems from what I have read on here and in the general media that the problem isore with people who are claiming disability. I recently stopped caring for my best friend who receives and is totally entitled to disability payments although there is a lot of people out there that are kit and are trying to con the system and these are things I have seen with my own eyes and not just heard through media. So unfortunately and in.my own opinion, people are finding problems and.suffering due to others scamming and conning the system. It's disgusting and the innocent are the ones that are suffering!!!!

  18. TheMeerkat

    Any government project is bound to end up like this. It is the nature of the beast. This is why Socialist countries never work.

    1. Roj Blake Silver badge

      re: Socialist countries never work

      Try telling that to Sweden and Norway.

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