Ipswich woman’s ‘relief’ as £5k benefits debt is waived

A woman ordered to pay back thousands in benefits she was told she was entitled to said she could now celebrate her 60th birthday “in style” – after the debt was waived.

Yvonne Buckley was overpaid by about £5,000 in universal credit between November 2021 and August 2023.

The 59-year-old, from Ipswich, who is disabled, acknowledged she worked on-and-off during that period, but maintained she was told she was eligible for the benefits she was getting.

Now, after an 18-month battle with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), it has told her she does not have to pay the money back. The DWP has been approached…