´óÏó´«Ã½

It’s been called the biggest reform since the welfare state was established after the Second World War.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Universal Credit replaces six working-age benefits with one single, monthly payment.  And from next week it will begin to be rolled out across Wales and the rest of the UK.

The UK Government says the new benefit will simplify an overly complicated system, delivering savings for the tax-payer while boosting benefits for many claimants.

But the progress of the flagship policy has been plagued with delays and IT problems, leading some to question whether Universal Credit can deliver on those promises.

So, as it’s poised to be expanded across the whole of Flintshire – following a trial at Shotton’s Jobcentre Plus - then onto Neath Port Talbot, Torfaen and Wrexham over the coming weeks, what can claimants expect and when?

And what – as the reform ripples out across the country - will the changes mean for wider society?

Kayley Thomas is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the progress of Universal Credit and where it might lead.