THE impacts of Universal Credit are being seen in the area, with Weaver Vale Housing Trust (WVHT) announcing redundancies in the week before Christmas.

WVHT – which employs more than 300 people – confirmed last week that a ‘small number’ of roles were set to be lost, citing customer expectations and a plan to build new affordable homes across the county.

The redundancies at this stage are thought to number less than 10.

Wayne Gales, WVHT chief executive, said: “Weaver Vale Housing Trust has been carrying out a review of our services so we can continue to meet the needs of our customers and deliver much needed new affordable homes across Cheshire.

“As part of this review we are restructuring a number of our teams to make sure that our organisation is fit for the future. This has been an ongoing process over the past six months.

“We continue to take steps to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible, however we have had to take some tough decisions and are currently consulting with staff on a small number of roles that are currently at risk.

“We recognise that this is an unsettling time for colleagues and we are working closely with all those affected, and provide them with the appropriate support.”

The trust revealed earlier this year the impact that welfare reform and the rollout of UC had had.

In the first half of the 2018/19 financial year, WVHT’s 762 UC claimant customers contributed to more than a third of its £1 million rent arrears.

It was also revealed that there was an 89 per cent collection rate from customers claiming UC, compared to 96 per cent from those not claiming UC.

In that period, the trust had received £6.4 million in Housing Benefits – a reduction of £855,000 on the previous year. This has resulted in more work for the income teams.

During 2017/18, WVHT secured an extra £2.6m in extra income for customers through benefits, grants, and more, and also helped to clear almost £250,000 of customers’ non-rent debt.