The New Deal Scandal: Flexible New Deal blog (http://www.newdealscandal.co.uk/flexiblenewdeal/) is a part of the Flexible New Deal Scandal Network.

Unofficial Jobcentre Plus & Unemployment Survey

Unofficial Jobcentre Plus & Unemployment Survey

Please spend 10 minutes or so answering the questions so we can gather a better understanding of unemployment and how the Government is handling the issue.

Instead of the usual tick box, checkbox and rating systems, we have decided to allow you to answer in your own words. There is also an opportunity to rate each area out of 10. We will allow answers by comments to the article so to show they are not distorted in any way. Questions are simplified for easy understanding without requiring the concentration of an examination!

New Deal Scandal is running this survey because no one else offers such an impartial indepth open survey not limited by closed questions or tickbox selections which can be interpreted in many different ways. Your views are really important to us and will help shape the future of welfare. There are 12 questions in total.

The questions are as follows:

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Government keeps Ipswich Detention Centre open

Jobseekers in Recession spend up to 20% of their benefit seeking employment

New Deal Scandal can reveal that Jobseekers on average are spending up to a fifth (20%) of their benefit seeking employment in the recession. Jobseekers Allowance is the minimum the law says you need to live on. This doesn’t include costs of seeking employment. TUC states this should be increased to £75 per week.

Jobseekers Allowance Rates

Type Amount Cost % of ASE Net Amount of Jobseekers Allowance*

Single (18-24)          £50.95          17.67%               £41.95
Single  (25+)            £64.30           14%                     £55.30
Couples                      £100.95        16.84%              £83.95  (£41.98 each)

Read more on New Deal Scandal »

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Benefit scroungers are Britains most annoying pet hate

It is official – the Government has succeeded with its campaign against bullying genuine claimants from claiming benefits they are legally entitled to. In a survey of the 100 most annoying things for 2008, benefit scroungers bet the Credit Crunch and Gordon Brown to the top spot. Read more on New Deal Scandal »

Benefit Busters: Episode 2 Preview

Benefit Busters is on again tomorrow at 9pm. The first episode of Series 1 of Benefit Busters spreaded a lot of anger of Princess Emma of Sheffield in her mansion and A4e: the largest New Deal Provider.

New Deal Scandal will review the preview clips of Episode 2 of Benefit Busters – this show could really damage the reputation of A4e.  The clips are “Easier on the dole” and “Job ready“.  Read more on New Deal Scandal »

Benefit Busters Episode 1

Interesting links on A4e Doncaster featured Benefit Busters Series 1, Episode 1 that was shown on Channel 4 last Thursday night.  Read more on New Deal Scandal »

A4e Benefit Busters Single Mums Review

So it has been a hot topic in the recent week…. Benefit Busters at A4e Doncaster.

I have already expressed disappointment regarding the low outcome by A4e the largest welfare provider in the UK that also has business interests overseas.

Since the Benefit Busters show, I have been reviewing feedback across the internet. The comments are shocking! Read more on New Deal Scandal »

How the Government can solve Unemployment for FREE!

For over a decade the Government has seen to want to throw money at solving problems such as unemployment, which doesn’t work.  I don’t doubt for one second that the New Deal created loads of new jobs and helped people find employment. Sadly though these jobs were mostly for training providers to help deliver the scheme. Read more on New Deal Scandal »

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Housing Poverty: action required now!

JSM Property Unfair charges

We have all heard about the Jobseekers Allowance Scandal, how LHA rates in most areas have fell dramatically while the rent prices have not decreased by so much and now today, we at New Deal Scandal expose the unfair charges that estate agents such as JSM Property (who were lucky to be featured, a nice link back above) imposed on people trying to get a roof over their heads. Read more on New Deal Scandal »

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How to negotiate a Jobseekers Agreement

So you are unemployed, about to make a claim for Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) or have made a new claim for Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) however not attended an New Jobseeker Interview (NJI) yet. This article explains what you need to know about claiming Jobseekers Allowance.

You wouldn’t have thought that the Jobseekers Agreement (JSAg) would be a crutial element to claiming. The problem is most claimants see it as simply a pathetic agreement which is created just as procedure, whereas the truth is the Jobseekers Agreement is in effect, within a limited capacity, your power to create a law to your specification of how some elements of the Jobseekers Act 1995 (as amended) are implemented and used.

The Jobseekers Agreement (JSAg) has two main uses:- The first is to trap the typical naive Jobseeker in to being required to apply for more widespread jobs than otherwise could be argued as reasonable. As the average jobseeker doesn’t realise the full impact of the Jobseekers Agreement they will go along with whatever the Employment Officer (EO) suggests, they then sign and it becomes a large element of the rules for receiving Jobseekers Allowance. The second reason is for the Jobseekers Agreement to be used for enforcement – or should I say to decide about applying sanctions or refusing later benefit claims.

You may also hear the Jobseekers Agreement (JSAg) being an agreement you negotiate, where you pledge what you will do weekly to find work, what your responsibilities are, your availability and what restrictions you have.

Was it just me? ..Or did I hear the word negotiate mentioned? Read on… Read more on New Deal Scandal »

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Unemployed: Temporary or Parked?

I can’t stress enough how great it is to have a job which is permanent and secured

Tonight I wish to raise the major unemployment issue: the System’s  Cherry Pick or Park approach.

Regardless of being in a recession or not, there are two distinct groups of unemployed people that are jobseekers who are on benefits:

1) The Lucky.

The lucky group will only be unemployed for a short period typically between 2 weeks and six months and head back into sustainable long term fulltime employment. This employment is likely to be secured by knowing friends and family, and even keeping in the loop of internal job vacancies from previous employers rather than the overcrowded application processes.

and

2)   The Unlucky.

The unlucky group is destined to remain longterm unemployed with the occassional unsustainable short jobs (Agency, temporary etc.) from anything between several hours a week here and there, and 4-9 months. The unlucky ones are forced to register for agencies who are only usually interested in promoting very casual work – which obviously are unsustainable, inadequate to live on, and without much notice (a phone call on the day to work is common) – and requires either signing off for the period (then signing back on afterwards) or going down to sign on and declare work resulting in no payment and probably a staff member reporting you to the fraud squad.

Wonder why there are so many agency jobs advertised at the Jobcentre?

89% of the recuitment industry in the UK is for temporary jobs.  The Government is supporting this multi-billion pound industry and sticking the economy before people as usual (apart from with the banks of course). Putting it another way; the industry’s combined turnover for permanent jobs and normal non-permanent contract jobs make up only around one tenth (11%) of their annual income.

The rest is made up of short term casual short notice jobs. Do you want to be rung up at 7:30am asking if you can start work at 8am for 4 hours at minimum wage?

Employers prefer someone who has stuck at their job for long periods of time

No employer likes candidates who have worked on several different jobs in one year.

Jobseekers Allowance terminated

The jobcentre has for a while allowed jobseekers to be more choosey for jobs they apply for. Generally, if you aren’t better off working than receiving Jobseekers you don’t have to apply. Agency work on the other hand, is an exception to this rule – if you declined the above offer for example – you would likely receive a sanction for it.

New Deal

New Deal is infamous for “Cherry Picking” and “Parking”…

This has to stop!

It actually is a human right for self-progression etc. it is not right for people to just be parked (like a car?) in the car park of unemployment waiting for petrol. Then someone comes along and hand washes the car. The car needs petrol! It doesn’t matter if the car looks brand new, still needs petrol to get anywhere! (don’t ask lol)

Unemployed? What category have you fallen in to?

I don’t believe that the “clever” ones get the jobs and the “dumb” ones don’t. This is why I called the groups “lucky” and “unlucky”. Luck has a part in all this too. Feel free to leave a comment, if you are unemployed, stick which group you think you fall in to, looking back at past events and the current circumstances.

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A4e to lose Flexible New Deal contract for fraud: other training providers also under investigation

The Department for Work and Pensions has been investigating Action 4 Employment and at least 2 other undisclosed training providers for fraud over the last 13 months – this comes after Maatwerk had their contract terminated for fraud.

This means that even though they weren’t restricted or blacklisted from bidding for Flexible New Deal contracts: they will now lose the Flexible New Deal contracts after at least 20 cases of fraud have been discovered in May 2008 at A4e in Hull where two staff members falsified forms meant for the employer and also forged signatures on the forms in order to receive job outcome bonuses from DWP.

Action 4 Employment was also involved in a temporary job recruitment agency scam – thus forcing New Deal participants into temporary work which resulted in more job outcome bonuses from DWP.

Another New Deal provider has been forced to repay £48,000 for fraud – the name of the provider hasn’t been disclosed.

The DWP was happy to pay Pertemps PDG over 2 million when a report clearly stated fraud – in this instance no concerns other than as a report were raised.

Also, so far all fraud cases were consisting of forged signatures on forms and such like – the DWP have not yet picked up on timesheet abuses (paid to be there for x hours, as shown on timesheets, but participants are there for significantly less i.e. 10 hours instead of 30), dismissal abuses (dismissing participants for false or trivial reasons to receive full 13 weeks amount without them being there for even half that time), guaranteed jobs bonuses abuse (some participants have received a job offer before having to do the course starting 2-6 weeks after the course starts, providers still get job outcome payments intended as a bonus if they get the participant work, even if they had nothing to do with it) and future job outcome bonuses abuse (getting participants to enter an agreement where the provider has “permission” to contact any future employer after the course has ended to get job outcome bonus even though you got the job after the course unaided by them) to name a few.

Posted in Action 4 Employment, New Deal, Working Links, dwp, flexible new deal. Tags: , , , , , , , , , .
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£187,500: how much it cost Taxpayers to get a Jobseeker off the dole

£187,500

This is the amount it cost Taxpayers to get a single Jobseeker of the dole.

This is the bombshell that stuck the final nail in the coffin of New Deal. A scheme setup by Gordon Brown for New Labour aiming to get less people claiming unemployment benefits and stop living a “life on benefits” lifestyle.

How did we come across this figure? Well…   The New Deal scheme costs Taxpayers £75 billion and claimants have dropped by 400,000 people (this figure excludes the surge in new claimants due to the economical crisis) – this equates for each person who is not claiming benefit: £187,500!!

Of course, we shouldn’t presume that these 400,000 people have all obtained sustainable full time jobs, due to benefits being made more difficult to claim in this period. We also can’t presume or expect that these 400,000 less claims were a result from the New Deal courses.

What I can quite confidently state that with £75 Billion instead of the 13 week New Deal courses, the Government could have employed 9 times more people (assuming that those 400,000 people got full time jobs) – or 3.6 million people to stick it as a figure – full time on an annual salary of £20,000 for one year.

Alternatively, they could have employed over 360,000 people on a £20,000 annual salary for 10 years.

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