Flexible new deal stages and signing off to reclaim

laser

donnajunkie wrote: »

one good thing is i think if you are doing part time work, that can count as your 4 weeks work placement as over the 12 months you will have done 4 weeks worth of hours. you will just have to do your fortnightly appointments and any other short course they think you should do.

Hi Donna,
what you have said there could be relevent to me also. As I said in an earlier post, I do some voluntary work and I have told my FND advisor this. In fact I have a meeting this week with the company and university i am working with. If 4 weeks worth of hours time can be accrued over 12 months then I can avoid the 16hr/week max clause in my mppi. On top of this I have almost certainly already done this.

This is interesting. The guy (pleb) I saw last is not my usual advisor and he may not have been aware that I was doing some voluntary work. I have a pretty good relationship with my usual advisor but he was on holiday so I had to deal with pleb. If what you are saying is true, pleb may have been shouting his mouth off when he shouldn't have.

Regards,
laser

laser

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

I think we now have to face facts and realise there are going to have to be some massive cuts in public spending after the election, from whatever party gets in. The borrowing in good years from this present government is a huge weight around this UKs neck. Last year alone, this government borrowed over 160billion, while also paying nearly 50 billion in interest on monies they borrowed in previous years. They have also devalued the pound by printing off money to buy their own government bonds, as the UK is now a high risk for overseas investors. Any money loaned to us by these investors, will have to be paid for by the tax payers at an interest rate that reflects that high risk

It's not just the professions you have named that are paid from taxpayers money, but the thousands of new office jobs in the state sector, created in just the last few years. State workers don’t create wealth for the country and are paid from the public purse. Raising taxes will barely cover the interest on the money this government borrowed, so cuts are going to have to be made in public spending regardless of how people vote. Would you rather there were massive state jobs losses, or a freeze on pay rises: or maybe some benefits cut right out, or a time limit on claiming any benefits?

Labour has tried to keep the “feel good” factor until the election, but basically, the UK is stuffed. The good years are over and now we all have to pay for their mistakes, as will our children.

Hi Moneypenny,
as I've mentioned before, benefits aren't an issue for me as i don't receive any. One of the most annoying things about signing on is that everybody assumes you are claiming/receiving benefits. I did receive some contributions based JSA when I was first made unemployed, but I don't qualify for any now. I didn't and still don't feel guilty about receiveing the contributions based JSA as I have been a higher rate tax payer for a large proportion of my working life. It was and still remains my time of need.

I have worked in the private sector for 20+ years and the public sector for 2, so if anything, I would be more likely to see the private sector perspective. My point is simply this...£18K is not a good family salary in this day and age. If the Tories had set it at £50K I would have said OK.

I am well aware that the UK is stuffed and I'm actually a victim of public spending cuts. However I'm not entirely convinced that due consideration has been given to efficiency improvements in the public sector and this doesn't have to equate to capping modest salaries.

Regards,
laser

donnajunkie

Jowo wrote: »

I read the link provided. If I've read it correctly, after 2 full years of unemployment, there is an obligation for the long-term unemployed to undertake 13 weeks work experience? So its fairly brief work experience for the few that remain unemployed for that long duration and I can't really see how it its going to impact council tax bills or council worker redundancy. Am I missing something or misreading this?

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/building-bridges-to-work.pdf

i have seen details somewhere that say people will have to do 6 months on the work for your benefit scheme. my local council used many people on litter picking and refuse collection from the old new deal. they rarely ever took someone on. the reason i suggest a bigger impact now is because of all the talk in the media about cutting public spending. i believe the tories have said they will freeze council tax bills. so i cant see how redundancies can be avoided. the work they did will still need doing. this is were the free labour comes in. it wont be just things like litter picking either. i have met people on new deal who are experienced in admin for example.

donnajunkie

laser wrote: »

Hi Donna,
what you have said there could be relevent to me also. As I said in an earlier post, I do some voluntary work and I have told my FND advisor this. In fact I have a meeting this week with the company and university i am working with. If 4 weeks worth of hours time can be accrued over 12 months then I can avoid the 16hr/week max clause in my mppi. On top of this I have almost certainly already done this.

This is interesting. The guy (pleb) I saw last is not my usual advisor and he may not have been aware that I was doing some voluntary work. I have a pretty good relationship with my usual advisor but he was on holiday so I had to deal with pleb. If what you are saying is true, pleb may have been shouting his mouth off when he shouldn't have.

Regards,
laser

i believe the rule is that it has to be work related activity. so it can be a work placement, a work trial, an actual job, voluntary work etc.

laser

donnajunkie wrote: »

i have seen details somewhere that say people will have to do 6 months on the work for your benefit scheme. my local council used many people on litter picking and refuse collection from the old new deal. they rarely ever took someone on. the reason i suggest a bigger impact now is because of all the talk in the media about cutting public spending. i believe the tories have said they will freeze council tax bills. so i cant see how redundancies can be avoided. the work they did will still need doing. this is were the free labour comes in. it wont be just things like litter picking either. i have met people on new deal who are experienced in admin for example.

That's disgarecful! how exactly is somebody improving their skills by litter picking/refuse collection. Why don't these schemes try to make best use of peoples skills?

donnajunkie

laser wrote: »

That's disgarecful! how exactly is somebody improving their skills by litter picking/refuse collection. Why don't these schemes try to make best use of peoples skills?

it is disgraceful that the council and anyone else is allowed to exploit people. the jobs mentioned are actual jobs and i would be fine with it myself if they just spent a few weeks to see they arent idiots and then offered them a job. even when they do offer people a job they make them work their full 6 months for free first before starting to employ them. even when they employ them they do so via an agency and only pay the minimum wage. the regular council employees were getting £8 per hour litter picking. i say were coz i spent 2 weeks litter picking myself. this is how i know this stuff. luckily i got out of it.

alwaysonthego_2

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