THANKS FOR NOTHING
A MAN on benefits who killed himself after running out of money for his electricity metre ‘thanked’ Universal Credit bosses in a suicide note, an inquest heard.
Brian Sycamore, 62, from Long Eaton, Derbyshire, took an overdose after struggling to survive on the government's controversial benefit payment, his brother told the coroner's court.
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He suffered back pain for years before taking his own life and was found dead in bed by flat mate Paul Baker on September 30, 2017.
Before committing suicide Mr Sycamore wrote a final heartbreaking message on his mobile phone, which read: “Can you thank the people who work at the Department for Work and Pensions?’”
The tragedy comes as The Sun battles to stop hundreds of thousands of hard-working families being pushed onto the breadline by Universal Credit.
Our Make Universal Credit Work campaign urges the government to mend its flagship welfare reform to help hardworking Brits.
'UNIVERSAL CREDIT THE TRIGGER'
Assistant coroner Louise Pinder told Derby and Derbyshire Coroner’s Court Mr Sycamore’s brother, Henry Sycamore, believed he took his own life because of problems with Universal Credit.
She said: “Henry has said to us that he believes this was a deliberate act.
What is Universal Credit and who does it affect?
Universal Credit is a new welfare scheme designed to wrap a number of benefits into a single monthly payment.
Universal Credit replaces the following benefits:
- Child Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Working Tax Credit
Whether you can claim Universal Credit depends on where you live and your circumstances.
Currently, Universal Credit is mainly claimed by the unemployed, or those on a low income.
If you're already on benefits, you don't need to apply for Universal Credit unless your circumstances change or you're told to by the DWP.
“He had been in pain for many years. But he believes the trigger was down to problems he was having with his Universal Credit.”
PC Mark Karim, of Derbyshire Police read Mr Sycamore’s heartbreaking final message on his unlocked phone.
He said: “There was also a reference to the electricity meter running out.”
Are you on Universal Credit. Tell us your story! Email us: universalcredit@thesun.co.uk
The coroner and PC Karim agreed the “thanks” in the note was sarcastic.
Mr Sycamore’s GP said he had no record of mental-health problems or other suicide attempts.
The inquest was told Mr Baker last saw his housemate at their home two days before his death.
He spent the day before his suicide in bed, due to illness, but checked on Mr Sycamore when he stopped hearing noise coming from his room.
Paramedics recorded Mr Sycamore’s time of death as 3.33pm.
What to do if you have problems claiming Universal Credit
IF you're experiencing trouble applying for your Universal Credit, or the payments just don't cover costs, here are your options:
Apply for an advance - Claimants are able to get some cash within five days rather than waiting weeks for their first payment. But it's a loan which means the repayments will be automatically deducted from your future Universal Credit pay out.
Alternative Payment Arrangements- If you're falling behind on rent, you or your landlord may be able to apply for an APA which will get your payment sent directly to your landlord. You might also be able to change your payments to get them more frequently, or you can split the payments if you're part of a couple.
Budgeting Advance - You may be able to get help from the government to help with emergency household costs of up to £348 if you're single, £464 if you're part of a couple or £812 if you have children. These are only in cases like your cooker breaking down or for help getting a job. You'll have to repay the advance through your regular Universal Credit payments. You'll still have to repay the loan, even if you stop claiming for Universal Credit.
Cut your Council Tax - You might be able to get a discount on your Council Tax or be entitled to Discretionary Housing Payments if your payments aren't enough to cover your rent.
Foodbanks - If you're really hard up and struggling to buy food and toiletries, you can find your local foodbank who will provide you with help for free. You can find your nearest one on the Trussel Trust website.
'PUT ON TRIAL'
Work and Pension Secretary Amber Rudd admits the benefit system leaves people feeling "put on trial".
She announced she would reform Universal Credit after taking over from Esther McVey in November, 2018.
Universal Credit was due to be rolled out across the UK at the end of last year and replace six existing benefits.
But claimants said they couldn’t pay bills or eat after waiting at least five weeks for their first payment.
SURGE IN FOODBANKS
Ms Rudd announced a delay to the scheme and admitted a surge in foodbanks is partly due to Universal Credit’s rollout.
A post-mortem and toxicology tests found Mr Sycamore had lethal levels of four different medicines in his system.
The coroner recorded Mr Sycamore’s death as “suicide” and said the cause of death was “mixed drug toxicity”.
But she didn’t refer to problems with Universal Credit as a cause or contributing factor to his death.
A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: "Suicide is a very complex issue, so it would be wrong to link it solely to someone’s benefit claim.
“We are committed to safeguarding vulnerable claimants and we keep our guidance under constant review to ensure we provide the highest standard of protection.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123 or 020 7734 2800.
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WHERE TO GET HELP WITH DEBT
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with debt, the following organisations provide support.
- Citizens Advice, www.citizensadvice.org.uk
- Debt Advice Foundation, www.debtadvicefoundation.org
- National Debtline, www.mymoneysteps.org, 0808 808 4000
- Stepchange, www.stepchange.org