Unemployment is set to rise, providing clients for the Work Programme contractors, but fewer possibilities of getting them into jobs and thereby earning outcome payments. And yet the government has made the plight of the unemployed even harder by increasing benefits in line with consumer prices inflation, rather than retail prices inflation, from next year, which means a smaller rise; and by reducing housing benefit by 10% for people who have been on a jobseeker's allowance for 12 months or more. Will this be an incentive to find work?
Wednesday 23 June 2010
The Budget
Yesterday's budget contained few real surprises, but one of the measures which will affect A4e is the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies. The North West Development Agency in particular have funded a number of projects which gave work to the company. Whatever replaces the RDAs will have less money to spend, and cuts in public spending across the board will mean slimmer pickings.
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I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but the 10% reduction in housing benefit will not come into effect till April 2013.
ReplyDeleteWell I had to just deal with new deal and a4e. Apparently if you are on new deal you will immediately within 6 weeks of going onto new deal be sent to go to a4e. Apparently they are only there to get you a FULL time job. part time job which will be better for a majority, thats against the rules there. I cant tell them i will refuse a job if its over 90 mins travel. It will be 90mins travel for a normal person, but for someone with mobility problems, it takes it to over 2 hours if not more.
ReplyDeleteMercurior: If you have mobility problems you would not be on Flexibel New Deal, but on of the other programs.
ReplyDeleteEither way, don't let A4e bully you into anything. You do have rights, and you can say why a particular vacancy is not suitable. I've done the same with my Ingeus advisor, he comes up with job vancancies outside the town where I live. Sometimes I agree to apply for them, and on other occasions I don't and give my reasons why. And he does not have a problem with that.
I'm telling you this so that if A4e turn round to you and you ahve to apply for every job vacancy they find you, you don't. And you can give my example (as above) if it helps. Good luck