A jobcentre in Ashton-under-Lyne has become the first place claimants can seek access to Universal Credit (UC), as the staged rollout of the Government's flagship welfare programme  strategy commences.

Available to those in work and on a low income as well as to the unemployed, UC will replace income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, income support, child tax credits, working tax credits, and housing benefit with a single payment each month.

Secretary of state for work and pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, said he expects the merging of six working-age benefit payments into a single monthly sum under to encourage fairness in the welfare system and bring people back into employment.

It is calculated around 7,000 jobseekers should be able to claim UC during the pilot, and people making claims will be able to count on support from councils and charities on how to budget their money and use the online service for managing benefits.

To help people who don't have Internet access, eight computers are available at Ashton-Under-Lyne's Jobcentre Plus branch and in addition more than 130 computers will be made available across libraries and council offices in Tameside.

According to the DWP timetable, jobcentres in Warrington, Wigan and Oldham will take claims from July with progressive rollout across the country beginning this October.  However, it is expected to take four years to make the full transition to UC by 2017.

Minister for welfare reform, Lord Freud, said: ‘The start of Universal Credit today is a big step forward. We are finally implementing a benefit system that is fairer, where claimants will be better off in work than on benefits.

‘We are introducing Universal Credit in a slow and safe manner so that we get this important reform right and help more people move smoothly from benefits and into work.'