In August 2019 there were 20 million people claiming DWP benefits, with two thirds of claimants of State Pension Age (13 million). As of December 2019, there were 2.7 million Universal Credit claimants. The coronavirus crisis has had a huge impact on household finances and has caused an increased reliance on the UK benefits system, in particular Universal Credit.

In March 2020, 3 million people were on Universal Credit, but this has risen substantially during the pandemic, reaching 5.8 million people by November 2020. Huge operational pressures were placed on the DWP and services were adapted to reallocate resources to meet new demand and facilitate social distancing.

This timely event will explore the UK welfare system and will look at how it can adapt and evolve after the Covid-19 pandemic. Using a combination of high-level keynote presentations and practical case study examples, it will provide a comprehensive overview of the current UK welfare system and how effectively it serves the community and can meet the challenges ahead with a weaker labour market and a recovering economy.