AMONGST all the noise, reaction and drama that follows the Budget, it’s easy to see why key announcements can get glossed over or forgotten about altogether, writes Redditch MP Rachael Maclean in her letter from Westminster.

There’s one announcement I want to focus on, which I think got lost in the Budget reaction, and that is the extra support for Universal Credit.

Universal Credit has been fully rolled out here in Redditch, and from what staff at the Job Centre have told me is that this new welfare reform is working, is fairer than the system we inherited from Labour and genuinely supports people to get back into work.

It should always pay to work and not to languish on benefits.

Universal Credit ensures support is there when people need it, and ensures our welfare support is a safety net and not a way of life.

Now I’m not denying for a second that there aren’t too many stories where the rollout of Universal Credit has left some people without payments for weeks.

I’m not blind to the issues that the Government needed to address in order to smooth the transition to Universal Credit.

£3.5billion has already been spent by the Government to help with the transition to Universal Credit.

And last week the Chancellor announced further support to help smooth the transition.

This includes £1.7billion to increase existing work allowances in Universal Credit.

Increases to work allowances will mean working parents and people with disabilities claiming Universal Credit will be £630 better off each year.

People will also receive extra help as they move from their existing benefits to Universal Credit and there will be targeted support for people repaying debts.

The system we inherited from Labour enabled too many people to not work and live on benefits, making a mockery out of the millions of people who work hard and provide for their families.

Universal Credit ensures work always pays, but support is there for people in their time of need.

With unemployment down in Redditch by 48 per cent since 2010, Universal Credit enables work coaches at the Job Centre to work more closely with their clients, particularly the long-term unemployed, to help them back into work.

It’s hard to see why Labour are so opposed to this fairer system of welfare.