Southport residents are often left wrestling with a social security system now set-up to “frustrate rather than help” it’s been revealed.
The comments came during a fact-finding visit to Southport Foodbank by Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate Liz Savage and Kew Councillor, Janis Blackburne. Both heard of a number of difficulties residents can face when encountering the Department of Work and Pensions.
The introduction of Universal Credit to the town has also brought with it new problems, with some groups being particularly badly affected such as single parents, the self-employed and EU citizens.
Based at the scheme’s Lakeside headquarters, Welfare Benefits Advisor Gerard Lonergan told the visitors:
“We now seem to have a punitive system for many. The tagline is that it helps people into work but really we are running a system to scare people.”
“It’s not just UC, the system currently seems to be deliberately obstructing people from their actual rights and entitlements.”
His colleague Mike Hume agreed, explaining:
“People get training in the workplace but there’s no such training when encountering the system. The information that is now given out is often really bad, so bad it seems deliberate.”
“That’s why there are so many successful appeals now but it appears they are relying on people not being able to access the help they need for those appeals.”
“We’ve won 100 percent of the cases we’ve contested but our caseload and that of others working in the town is just too high to take on much more.”
The volunteers told how Jobcentre staff used to be there to offer assistance and guidance but with everything now online, this facility was much reduced and appeared to have been replaced with a system of intransigence and obstruction. Gerard continued:
“It’s extremely difficult now for people. The system seems set-up to frustrate rather than help. The sanctions approach is unnecessarily vicious and not just for Universal Credit but right across the various benefits.”
“For instance, it’s very easy to miss a communication now that everything is online and if you do, you are sanctioned immediately. Little account is taken of people’s ability to access or cope with online systems. This can cause huge problems and even lead to people losing their accommodation.”
When fully rolled out, it’s estimated that roughly 1 in 10 people will be on Universal Credit in Southport. Advisor Gerard says that the new scheme is a good idea not worked out.
“The concept itself is sound but its implementation has been really poor. It’s worked for some in replacing the old system but it’s simply not working for large numbers of others and has been severely underfunded.”
“The self-employed and single parents can come off very badly but the way EU citizens are treated is often appalling. There seems to be an environment that is deliberately causing totally unnecessary hardship for that group.”
Foodbank usage across Southport has more than doubled since the Trussell Trust scheme opened its doors five years ago but the debt and benefits advice unit has only been up and running for the past 18 months after it was decided the scheme needed to offer a more holistic approach to helping local families in crisis.
Kew Councillor Janis Blackburne said the visit had proved hugely informative:
“Staff have told us that while you might get the odd one or two trying it on very occasionally, the vast majority who come here are just everyday people who find themselves in desperate straits, often through no fault of their own at all.”
“You’d be amazed at the number of hardworking families who are having to survive on benefit of some sort, or who simply can’t do that and then find themselves using the services here.”
“No-one should look down on them for it. In work poverty is now a reality for millions.”
“The foodbank is providing invaluable assistance but it’s unacceptable that local residents are being put in this situation.”
“It’s also completely wrong that volunteers are having to carry out what DWP staff should be doing in the first place – providing the correct information. I don’t blame the staff, it’s the system that the government has implemented.”
Labour Parliamentary candidate, Liz Savage, says the government needs to listen to those picking up the pieces of this broken system:
“The centre here does an amazing job in helping residents in Southport and beyond and those staffing it can’t be praised enough.”
“Many local people are suffering under the current DWP system and we are really interested to know what the volunteers here think can be done to reform it and stop the current injustices.”
“People should not be bullied into decisions because they don’t understand the system, nor should they have their entitlements kept from them or have vindictive sanctions applied.”
“Our concern is that the ethos appears to no longer be about the welfare of residents but the harrying of them.”
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