2018 Universal Credit roll out plan

The Universal Credit scheme, which is the new government benefit for the UK that will be replacing other forms of financial assistance, will continue to be rolled out in 2018 to dozens of more areas. The expansion includes areas in Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. If you are currently on some benefit scheme noted below, and not on Universal Credit, then find when you may be impacted below.

The assistance programs that will be replaced by Universal Credit are listed below. If you are on any one or more of them then you may be impacted it 2018. UC will replace Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Child as well as Working Tax Credit, Income-related Employment & Support Allowance, Housing Benefits, or Income Support. If Universal Credit is not rolled out to your area in 2018, the it is currently planned to be fully implemented by 2022. So it is just a matter of time.

This scheme makes people plan on how they will budget and spend their income. The welfare scheme puts responsibility on the recipient of the financial aid. If you are expected to be on Universal Credit sometime in 2018, then plan on how you will budget for your food, energy bills, housing, and other living expenses.

2018 schedule

The list of towns, cities, counties, and areas is subject to change. There have been countless delays in the rollout of the Universal credit scheme to date, and it would not surprise us if further delays take place. But as of when we write this story, the schedule is as follows.

January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018 – The areas of Strabane, Foyle, Omagh, Armagh, Enniskillen and Lisnagelvin in Northern Ireland will be impacted by the new benefit. As far as the balance of the country, namely Wales, Scotland, and England, expect Ayr, Blackburn, Brixton, Cardiff Alex House, Accrington, the city of Gloucester, Cardiff Charles Street, Clapham Common, Coalville, and Girvan families to be applying for financial aid from UC.

April 1, 2018 to July 31, 2018 – Downpatrick, Newry, Bangor, Kilkeel, Newtownards, Holywood Road, Knockbreda, Newtownabbey, Shaftesbury Square, Shankill, Corporation Street, Falls, Andersontown, Lisburn and Larne in Northern Ireland.

There are many other areas in Scotland, Wales, and England. They are Abergavenny, Anna, Alfreton, Amlwch, Abertillery, Andover, Bangor, Bideford, Billingham, Bognor, Bridlingto, Ammanford, Ashford, Barnstaple, Barrow, Beverley, Banff, Basingstoke, Barnet, Barnsbury, Bedminster, Belper, Bishopsworth, Blaby, Blairgowrie, Buckie, Bradford Eastbrook Court, Caldicott, Chepstow, Chester le Street, Bradford Westfield House, Bridgend, Bristol Temple St, Carmarthen, Colwyn Bay, Cornwall, Crawley, Darlington, Dereham, Durham, Elgin, Eyemouth, Finsbury Park, Forres, Fraserburgh, Galashiels, Hanley, Hawick, Haywards Heath, Heanor, Hendon, Heywood, Helston, Hereford, Holyhead, Horsham, Isles of Scilly, Dinnington, Dolgellau, Ebbw Vale, Forest Hill, Goole, Harrow,, Keighley, Kingston, Leicester Charles St, Leicester City, Leicester New Walk, Leicester Wellington St, Leominster, Llanelli, Llandudno, Llangefni, Longton, Marylebone, Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Sussex, North Shields, Scarborough, Selby, Sevenoaks, Shrewsbury, South Shields, Newton Aycliffe, Oswestry, Rochdale, Rushden, Oadby & Wigston, Penryn, Penzance, Peterhead, Perth, Porthcawl, Redbridge, Redruth, Romford, Ross on Wye, Skegness, Staveley, Stockton, Stratford, Sunderland, Spennymoor, Twickenham, Whitby, Whitchurch, Wokingham, Bathgate, Bodmin, Bracknell, Bracknell Forest, Bridgnorth, Southwick, Spalding, St Helens, Thornaby, Tiverton, Washington, Winchester, Worthing, Worthing, Wythenshawe, Chatham, Diss, Dumfries, Edmonton, Folkestone, Gravesend, Gravesham, Huyton, Jarrow, Kirkby, Killingworth, Livingston, Maidenhead, Market Drayton, Middleton, Newark, Newquay, , Stanraer, St Austell, Stowmarket, Truro, Wallsend, Walthamstow. Bromley, Bury, Canning Town, Canterbury, Canvey, Carlisle, Cheetham Hill, Chichester, Chorley, Clacton, Colchester, Coventy Cofa Court, Dartford, Dartford, Derby City, Harwich, Hessle, Honiton, Houghton le Spring, Leyland, Littlehampton, Loughborough, Maltby, Middlesborough , Middlesborough East, Penrith, Porthmadog, Preston, Prestwich, Pwllheli, Rayleigh, as well as the town of Rotherham.

September 2018 to October 31, 2018 – Universal Credit will be rolled out to job centres in these area. Note that the scheme will not be increased during August 2018 due to holidays. The areas are Aberystwyth, Atherstone, Aylesbury, Aberdeen, Aldershot, Alton, Barry, Bexleyheath, Bordon, Brecon, Brownhills, Bulwell, Bargoed, Barrhead, Belle Vale, Blackwood, Boston, Brixham, Bromsgrove, Buxton, Caerphilly, Campbeltown, Cardigan, Cambridge, Clydebank, Cromer, Dumbarton, Epsom, Farnborough, Felixstowe,, Chesham, Cosham, Dunoon, Eccles, Ely, Exeter, Exeter, Gainsborough, Garston, Glossop, Glossop, Govan, Guildford, Guisley, Hackney, Hayes, Hertford, High Riggs, Hoxton, Huntingdon, Haverfordwest, Helensborough, High Wycombe, Horfield, Horfield, Hythe, Irlam, Johnstone, Kendal, Kirkwall, Laurieston, Lerwick, Lewes, Louth, Lymington, Malvern, Mansfield, Matlock, Miford Haven, Newhaven, Newlands, Newport, Newton Abbot, Oban, Paisley, Pembroke Dock, Portsmouth, Pudsey, Redhill, Ryde, Seacroft, Springburn, Stevenage, Renfrew, Ringwood, Rothesay, Salford, Shirehampton, Stornoway, Thetford, Torquay, Totnes, Wandsworth, Wisbech, Worsley, Uxbridge, Uxbridge, Walsall Bayard House, Walsall Bridle Court, Welshpool, Wester Hailes, Willenhall, Woking, Wood Green, Woodbridge, Woolwich, Worcester, Yate, Ystradgynlais, Kettering, Kingswood, Leamington Spa, Leeds Park Place, Leeds Southern House, Leiston, Leith, Letchworth, Llandrindod Wells, Luton, Machynlleth, Morley, Newtown, Norwich, Norwich, Nottingham Central, Nottingham Loxley House, Partick, Penarth, and also Tottenham.

From November 1, 2018 to December 31 2018 Northern Ireland will not have any towns impacted. But in England, Wales, and Scotland the areas are. Aberdare, Arnold, Ashfield, Ashington, Alnwick, Bedlington, Blyth, Borehamwood, Castlemilk, Chelmsford, Drumchapel, Blackpool, Beeston, Berwick, Biggleswade, Bolton Blackhorse St, Bolton Great Moor St, Burton, Caernarfon, Camberley, Cannock, Castleford, Chapeltown, Clitheroe, Cramlington, Eston, Evesham, Everton, Fakenham, Fleetwood, Hemel Hempstead, Hexham, Hull Britannia House, Kentish Town, Newmarket, North Kensington, North Walsham, Sheffield Hillsborough, Sheffield Woodhouse, Shettleston, St Annes and Fareham, Gosport, Guisborough, Harlesdon, Havant, Hemsworth, Kidderminster, Kings Lynn, Leighton Buzzard, Kidsgrove, Loughton, Mildenhall, Milton Keynes, Newcastle Under Lyme,Llantrisant, Loftus, Maidstone, Morpeth, Nelson, Northampton, Oldbury, Pontefract, Pontypridd, Porth, Rawtenstall, Redcar, Sheffield Bailey Court, Sheffield Cavendish Court, Shirebrook, Sleaford, Smethwick, Stafford, Staines, Staines, Staines, Stockport, Swadlincote, Telford, Tipton, Tonbridge, Tonypandy, Toxteth, Treorchy, Wakefield, Wellingborough, West Bromwich, Weybridge, Weybridge, Weybridge, Williamson Square and Wembley, West Derby.

This is a large number of towns and cities in the UK. If your area is to be impacted in early 2018 then you should expect to be on Universal Credit by the end of the year. If the deadlines are not met, it will more than likely be for families impacted late in the year.