ESA and UC together

I spoke to a friend today who lives in Cheshire and tells me they were now on UC but with ESA too. I understand the Harrogate Pilot is still stalled and there have been no recent updates re the managed migration from legacy benefits to UC but this got me wondering. My friend told me she was migrated about 4 months ago and that her local council initiated it. She receives a monthly UC payment covering her child tax credits and her housing benefit. Apparently the local council told her they no longer accepted HB claims and child tax credits were, as we know, being phased out. She still gets her ESA support group (IR) payments fortnightly though and this is then deducted from her UC monthly amount. So it seems she is technically on UC but they aren't able to process it into one UC payment and her ESA is still paid by ESA but then deducted. She was told that if she weren't in the support group she woud have needed a medical assessment but as she is in SG didn't need one at this time. She insists she didn't have any change of circs that might have triggered this. Has B and W had any other reports of this happening around the country as I understood Harrogate was still the touch point for this pilot, if indeed the pilot is what my friend was migrated with. Again, as far as I know it's ESA she is/was on and not new style ESA.. Any ideas?

Thanks Gary However, as far as I understood it she didn't have any changes of circs at all She has been in the same council house for a few years now and as I say the local council/authority instigated this move to UC I just can't understand why the move to UC for her HB and CTC was initiated. She says that if she had been in work related activity group she would have still been transferred but have to undergo a medical assessment, according to what she was told, presumably by DWP. She was transferred but as I understand it she didn't need a medical assessment due to being in SG of ESA That's the way she told it to me unless there was a change of circs she didn't tell me about or hadn't realised.

Thanks Gary She's perfectly happy with the arrangement tbh but it was just to satisfy my own curiosity as to why it had been instigated as she's adamant there was no change in circs. It appears to be a right dogs dinner of a transfer too as she had to do the UC claim by phone as she had no internet at the time and now they say that prohibits her from changing or reporting any issues re the claim online. She has to do everything by phone they say and she receives a long letter every month detailing her UC claim and payments etc for that month. Madness : .