THERE has been a £113,000 increase in rent arrears among Universal Credit claimants in less than two months.

Figures obtained by the Swindon Tenants Campaign Group show that the amount of total amount of UC arrears has increased from £700,585 on December 3 to £814,189 as of January 26, which works out as a rise of £113,604 in less than two months.

The average arrears for UC claimants in Swindon remains very high at £834.21.

Martin Wicks, secretary of STCG, said: “An increase of £113,000 in rent arrears for tenants on UC in less than two months underlines the fact that these arrears are the result of the waiting period when a claim is being processed.

“With around 3,000 council tenants still to transfer to UC, the potential for increased arrears is a serious problem, not only for the individuals affected, but for the council’s Housing Revenue Account.

“This is money which is needed to fund maintenance and renewal of existing homes.”

At a recent meeting, the council vowed to “carefully monitor” the situation and to do whatever was necessary to support people in financial difficulty.