UC, making up rules as they go along

Hi, I am currently trapped on the dreaded universal credit and I wanted to ask your advise about both the debt management on uc and also some issues regarding the housing element.


My partner moved out and I had to change to the single person account on the UC, I was due to be paid Friday, however UC said that payment would now be changed and that most likely half of it would be paid out to my ex-partner. I am the main carer of our three children who would all remain at home with me and my ex-partner would be living rent-free with family members until he gets a new place of his own. UC also said that he would be paid half of the housing element which would directly put me into debt with my housing association. They claimed this is because they had a 'duty of care' to my ex-partner

Obviously I strongly objected to this as I had rent to pay, three kids to feed and bills to pay for us over the next month. Without getting into too much detail my ex-partner had to be removed from our home due to domestic abuse. I explained this to my 'work coach' but he just kept saying they had a duty of care to both of us. I felt like the 'duty of care' was actually being placed on me as he was going to be paid a large portion of my universal credit out, instead of the DWP separately assessing him on a new claim.

I reported this to my MP who was also concerned that the DWP were going to split the housing element even though he no longer lived at the property. They have reviewed the situation and have decided to pay me the whole housing element to my relief, they have paid my ex-partner half of the couple standard allowance however (this is the really annoying bit) they have not deducted his debt from this. They have decided as they gave me the housing element, then I should pay my ex-partners debt from my payment. They see this is I should be grateful I am only paying £83 to someone else's debt, instead of losing half my rent lol. When my ex-partner moved in with me, he came with years and years of really old DWP debt mounting up to nearly 2000.


Sorry my question is can the DWP split your housing element if a partner moves out, and deduct half your rent and pay it out to them even though they are now off your claim and are not even living at the property? Also have you heard of the DWP making a claimant pay another claimant's debt ? The reason the 'work coach' gave for this was to even up the odds a bit so my ex-partner was not left with nothing and I was receiving more of the UC, even if I was the main carer to our kids.


Thanks

Hi thanks for your reply, yes ill see how it goes with my MP looking into it and ill try an make an appointment with our local welfare rights, just sooooo relieved my housing element is going to be paid, well hopefully as it's not Friday yet lol