MP gets a first-hand look at roll-out of Universal Credit

She said: “I know elsewhere in the country there have been a few teething problems with the switchover to the new support-based system of Universal Credit, so I wanted to find out how it is working locally, and ensure if there are any problems, I can hear about them and try to help.

“So far everything is going smoothly and Julia and the team here in Alnwick are happy with how the switch has been implemented.

“My team and I stand ready to help anyone who is struggling to get to grips with the new system. We are one of the last places in the country to make the switch so it seems that – so far at least – we have avoided the problems reported elsewhere.”

Anne-Marie was given a comprehensive briefing on the roll-out by Julia Smith, the manager at the Alnwick Jobcentre, and was told about work being done with local stakeholder groups.

Constituents experiencing any problems with the new systemcan contact Anne-Marie.