The latest 'smart' idea from the Tories

[bhaexpress]

In last night's Standard we got treated to the latest bit of Tory brilliance. Apparently people will be now expected to take a job up to ninety minutes away from their homes or lose benefit.

Great idea in theory but thanks to a bit bit of recent change in government legislation people will not get paid travel expenses to interviews of that distance. I contacted my useless twat of a local MP (who's a Tory) and he got one of his lackies to reply to me denying this, they said it was at the discretion of the Job Centre. When I pointed out that the Job Centre denied this said lacky didn't reply. I should point out that whilst I can almost see my office from my home it still take me ninety five minutes to get there. It also cost me 25% of my dole money to attend the interview, something that I could afford but many can't.

It's tragic that the Tories will win the next election by default thanks to Millibrand being a Labour leader who makes Kinnock look good.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

In last night's Standard we got treated to the latest bit of Tory brilliance. Apparently people will be now expected to take a job up to ninety minutes away from their homes or lose benefit.

Lets look at this shall we. People who are in receipt of benefits have been told they must accept they may have to travel up to ninety minutes or an hour and half to be exact in order to find work and or have their claim stopped. I would say that most people in Brighton and Hove who work in the City Of London have a door to door journey of AT LEAST ninety minutes. Thousands do so every day.

Why should people not be expected to pursue all posssible means to find an alternative to claiming benefits.

The culture in this country of sitting at home waiting to be given a nice cushy number around the corner or not bother at all, ended last May.

As Norman Tebbit said they shold get on their bikes and go and find work.

You're quite right it is a smart idea.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

people will be expected to take a job up to ninety minutes away from their homes..

My employers have the same rule!

 

[Simster]

I don't think it's as bad as it sounds, [MENTION=273]bhaexpress[/MENTION]. How many people are likely to be told they have to take a job 90 mins away? Surely it's not the same thing as being told you must attend an interview 90 mins away.

Sounds more like a gimic than anything else to me, to appease the idiot Tory vote that Timmy epitomises, because right now there are surely more people who would jump at the chance of working than the sort of bone idle dosser who certain types would have you believe plague the country.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

In last night's Standard we got treated to the latest bit of Tory brilliance. Apparently people will be now expected to take a job up to ninety minutes away from their homes or lose benefit.

Great idea in theory but thanks to a bit bit of recent change in government legislation people will not get paid travel expenses to interviews of that distance. I contacted my useless twat of a local MP (who's a Tory) and he got one of his lackies to reply to me denying this, they said it was at the discretion of the Job Centre. When I pointed out that the Job Centre denied this said lacky didn't reply. I should point out that whilst I can almost see my office from my home it still take me ninety five minutes to get there. It also cost me 25% of my dole money to attend the interview, something that I could afford but many can't.

It's tragic that the Tories will win the next election by default thanks to Millibrand being a Labour leader who makes Kinnock look good.

What's the problem, my previous job was 110 mins door to door, 5 years, 800 others on the same rattler

 

[Deleted User X18H]

What's the problem, my previous job was 110 mins door to door, 5 years, 800 others on the same rattler

Ohh mate over an hour to work nearly two hours. Is that fair?

 

[Gwylan]

I would say that most people in Brighton and Hove who work in the City Of London have a door to door journey of AT LEAST ninety minutes. Thousands do so every day.

What's the problem, my previous job was 110 mins door to door, 5 years, 800 others on the same rattler

You're both missing BHExpress's point. It's not the time travelling to work that's an issue it's the cost. As he pointed out, the unemployed can no longer claim the cost of travel to job interviews and a £20 ticket to London is a big chunk out of dole money (and that's assuming the interview is late morning or afternoon, it's £46 if travelling before 9.00). I agree with BHE's point, it's an ill-thought-out proposal.

 

[mikeyjh]

The other point being missed is that too many people are already choosing to either not live near where they work/not work where they live - I'm sure we'd all agree that, countrywide, there is already overcrowding on public transport and roads and to suggest that even more people should be commuting long distance is absurd. And let's be honest, how on earth is an unemployed person supposed to pay for a 90 commute in a new job. Use their credit cards? Over to you CMD.....

 

[Tory Boy]

If people are unemployed there should be no boundaries to where they look for work.

Of course there are people who are happy for them to stay at home on their PS3.

TB

 

[Deleted User X18H]

So let's get this clear there no schemes or concessions in place at all, that allow people to claim back or recieve assitance in any way from the DSS relating to travelling to interviews? 100 per cent none at all?

 

[Albumen]

Latest 'smart' idea? When was the first?

 

[Sausage]

Supposing you take a job at say £6.50 an hour (and there are plenty) you're going to clear £205 a week.
If it's 90 mins to work and 90 back you can be sure that's going to be an absolute minimum of £10 a day in travel on public transport.
Leaving £150 a for a 37.5 hour week.
How are kids ever going to be able to leave home with rents as high as they are?
It's all very well saying 'I do a 2 hour commute to work and back every day' but I would imagine that a decent salary is the reward.

 

[Scarface]

If people are unemployed there should be no boundaries to where they look for work.

Of course there are people who are happy for them to stay at home on their PS3.

TB

This. And if the new job doesnt pay enough to cover the commute they should move closer! Although there should be help to pay for the cost of getting to the interview. Maybe this can be recovered from the first pay cheque if they get the job?

 

[withdeanwombat]

I've got an idea.Since there seems to be a problem with this,why not send the unemployed layabouts who live nearer than ninety minutes away to the job interview ? Sometimes things are too easy,eh ?

But it's a clever idea,really. Say,for example,there is ONE job but SIX ninety minute travellers for said job.AT LEAST FIVE and possibly ALL SIX will be travelling more in hope than expectation,but the travel (or bike) companies will be in chips,especially since there are vast numbers of unemployed and few actual jobs available.It's such a ...............TORY solution.Ten out of ten for the star who came up with it.

 

[Hotchilidog]

A cheap and lazy bit of headline grabbing politics from the conservatives. The problem this country faces at the moment is a lack of quality jobs with decent wages, not a lack of people willing to do them.

 

[keaton]

As well as the travel money for interview not being paid for there's the other issue of wages. If they're through the jobcentre they're hardly likely to be particularly well paid, whereas i'd imagine most people who a 60-90 minute trek to work from London or Brighton are pretty well renumerated

 

[Gwylan]

This. And if the new job doesnt pay enough to cover the commute they should move closer!

Here's someone else who doesn't live in the real world. It's not very likely that you'd get a landlord willing to rent out a property with the promise to be paid some time in the future. As most properties require a month's rent in advance plus a sizeable cash deposit, this is something that's going to beyond many people on the dole. My guess is that someone starting work in London right now would probably need about £1200 to £1500 for room, deposit and travel costs (and possibly smart clothes, if it's a customer-facing job) - there's no way that someone on the dole would have that sort of dosh.

But that's not the point. The stuff about looking for work and taking jobs that are no more than 90 minutes away are just soundbites for the conference. In reality, there are anything between 30 and 250 people for every job so there's no way that most people in this position would get an interview. However, it's clear that the cost of starting work is a factor that seems to have passed politicians by.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

The job centres don't know their arse from their elbows so there's nothing to worry about - they won't / can't enforce it. My girlfriend was unemployed for three months and had to keep an "application diary". They don't check it's true - in fact they kept asking to see her letters of application which was somewhat impossible given they were mostly online applications. My brother is currently unemployed and is getting interviews via contacts so there is no formal communication. The job centre really don't understand that nowadays people use telephones and the internet to arrange things.

Besides, there's an easy way round the new rules ( if they come in ), apply for roles you want and are qualified for close to home. Also apply for roles you aren't qualified for along way from home - you won't get an interview. The job centre will be happy you're trying further afield but in reality you won't have to travel for any interview.

 

[somerset]

It's tragic that the Tories will win the next election by default thanks to Millibrand being a Labour leader who makes Kinnock look good.

Oh I see,.. you want another 13 years of flushing our economic future down the toilet then?!?!?

 

[Danny-Boy]

Lets look at this shall we. People who are in receipt of benefits have been told they must accept they may have to travel up to ninety minutes or an hour and half to be exact in order to find work and or have their claim stopped. I would say that most people in Brighton and Hove who work in the City Of London have a door to door journey of AT LEAST ninety minutes. Thousands do so every day.

Why should people not be expected to pursue all posssible means to find an alternative to claiming benefits.

The culture in this country of sitting at home waiting to be given a nice cushy number around the corner or not bother at all, ended last May.

As Norman Tebbit said they shold get on their bikes and go and find work.

You're quite right it is a smart idea.

But but but..

So many jobs are now being cyber-performed through the net "at home". How many people have posted on here that instead of getting involved with some kind of transport hassle, they have opted "to work from home"?

Now that is okay for some jobs, but not for manual ones, overseeing etc. Also some homes are bought or rented out with covenants that they must not be used for business.

And if you think that people will get a bike, well as Boris said yesterday the rioters didn't bother to steal any. And quite frankly with the dangers of drivers on the road, I would not risk cycling around London, or Brighton compared to that.