A POOLE Housing Partnership tenant says she was shocked to receive an "aggressive letter" warning residents on benefits to start saving now to prepare for the switch to universal credit.

The controversial cover-all benefit, which is paid monthly, has led to periods of up to eight weeks when recipients get no payments at all.

Laura Hopkins, of Poole, said: "I am wondering how are we meant to save to pay rent when we are struggling below the poverty line already.

"PHP have said that if rent is not paid then eviction proceedings will be started.

"I guess there are many of us that will be needing tents as we will no doubt become homeless. None of us can afford to save a few thousand pounds to cover a two month period with no payments."

PHP rejects any notion that there letter to residents was aggressive, instead saying the correspondence was to highlight key points of the looming changes and suggesting help for tenants during the transition.

Universal credit is a new benefit system for working-age people, replacing six benefits and merging them into one payment.

The six benefits are income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, housing benefit, child tax credit and working tax credit.

The idea is that universal credit, which can be claimed by people in or out of work, will make the benefit system easier to navigate and will spell the end of people on low incomes losing all their benefits at once, as soon as they started working 16 hours or more.

However, because the benefit is paid in arrears, everyone has to wait at least four weeks, but reports of IT issues and other administrative problems, have left many facing delays of six to eight weeks for first payments.

Laura, aged 51, said: "This is a very serious issue and being dealt with in a very aggressive way by PHP, who have sent this letter out to all tenants.

"I'm considering swapping areas due to this approach from PHP. This is a wide-ranging issue involving so many families and older folk like myself.

"I have many health issues but clearly this is no concern to PHP."

Meanwhile, a PHP spokesman said: "PHP wholly rejects the comments that aggressive language was used.

"The introduction of universal credit in Poole is a major change to the welfare benefit system and as a responsible landlord, we took the decision to raise awareness of this change and to encourage any resident concerned about this to contact us.

"The content of the letter was to inform residents of this change, the impact - i.e no payment of universal credit would be made for 6-8 weeks, to highlight the key points and to suggest where to go for help."