In a letter seen by the BBC, the DWP told Ms Buckley: “I confirm our decision to waive the outstanding balance of £4,810.17 – therefore this money no longer has to be paid back.
“The Secretary of State has exercised their discretion not to recover any further monies and no further action to recover the remaining balance of the overpayment will be taken.”
The DWP’s u-turn came was a relief for Ms Buckley, who described the last 18 months as “nerve-wracking”.
“I can now celebrate my 60th birthday in style,” she said.
“I thought it [her universal credit payment] was wrong and the money I was getting was too high, but they wouldn’t listen to me and just said it was correct.
“There were times where I considered just paying it [the debt] and…
