VIEW ON THE STREET - Benefits shake-up
11:50am Thursday 24th July 2008
Should people have to work for their benefits?
In a bid to reduce the number of people on benefit by 1 million over the next seven years the long-term unemployed will be forced to work for their benefits.
A green paper plans to scrap Incapacity Support and make people jobless for more than a year carry out four weeks of community work, with those claiming for more than two years participating full-time. The type of work that claimants could be expected to carry out is clearing litter and cleaning graffiti.
Incapacity Benefit claimants will all move to the new Employment Support Allowance by 2013, which, ministers hope, will become, for all but the most disabled, a temporary benefit. In an attempt to tackle benefit fraud, those who have been signed off sick will have a medical check with someone who is not their own GP and will undergo a new assessment that determines what work they are capable of doing.
In light of the radical plans, Lydia Worsey talks to people in Wyre Forest to find out whether the unemployed should work for benefits.
- Jean Aldridge, over 60, retired, of Tenbury Wells, was very enthusiastic about the proposed new system.
She said: “Yes, I definitely think it is a very good idea indeed. People really should have to work for it when they are clearly not getting a job or even trying.”
- David Taylor, 21, unemployed, of Kidderminster, was not keen on the idea of community service.
Mr Taylor has been receiving Income Support for a year and a half and said: “It is rubbish as it is at the moment. You don’t get enough money on Income Support. I also think there should be more available for my age range.
He added: “All the jobs are going to the young kids straight out of school. Everyone on benefits is looking for a job. You have to, so how can you go out and do community service full-time? You definitely won’t get a job then.”
Mr Taylor thinks the reason people end up staying on benefits so long is "because they just offer you stupid jobs that you have no personal interest in". He said: “They don’t try and find you jobs that are actually relevant to you, they just want you to do anything. They send you on all these college courses and just expect you to get a job straight after, it doesn’t work like that.”
- David Such, 62, retired due to poor health, of Kidderminster, said: “I think it is a great idea to get the young kids off benefits.
“I’ve worked all my life and have only retired because of ill-health, this sounds like a great plan to get the kids out of trouble, off the streets and actually doing something to help the community.”
He added: “They could be helping out with old people’s gardens instead of walking the streets. There is work out there. They just all expect it to come to them and don’t want to do any training or learn a craft any more.”
- Matt Bennett, 29, Kays employee, of Kidderminster, thinks the move is a positive one.
He said: “It is about time this happened and they were made to get to work. We pay taxes for people to sit at home or wander the streets. Most of them aren’t bothered about getting a job at all.”
Mr Bennett supports the reshaping of Incapacity Benefit, “I think the idea to make people claiming incapacity see someone other than their own doctor is a very good idea. For so many, the slightest thing and they are claiming they are unfit to work. They just want the easy life.
He added: “This should wheedle out the ones who are faking it and help the people that genuinely need support. I hope it will improve the all-round work ethic of this country.”
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