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New Deal 25+ Illegal Sanctions?
A married couple were sent on a New Deal for 25+ people by their JSA advisor. This means they take you off JSA, give you your P45 and are then give you a 'training allowance', basically JSA with an extra few pounds a week plus ten pence JSA so they can put you on a rapid reclaim if you need to go back onto JSA - ie if you have not found a job. The man (49) had been out of work for 18 months, the lady (46) had been a housewife, last time in work was 3 years ago p/t but previously worked full time for years and has paid her dues, but forced to 'sign on' as they have no children.
The New Deal was unbearable. They were sent to A4E for this 13 week 'course'. They were put in separate rooms, as A4E said they had a 'couples policy' to keep them apart, which didn't seem to apply to all as there were couples in some of the other rooms. The wife was put in an all-male (aged in their 20's) room who bragged about their jail sentances, burgling and drug dealing & who knows what else. The 'tutor' held no teaching qualifications and constantly traded base and lewd remarks with the youths.
Each room contained 40+ people crowded inside with 5 computers between them - none of which you were able to access as the youths constantly played games on them. The lady had been there 2 weeks and had access to the computer for a total of 1 hour for a job search. Wheras at home they've got 24 hour access to the internet. They had to sit there from 9am to 4pm, every day, Monday to Friday 'job searching' with out of date newspapers.
These 'courses' are run by private companies who are being paid thousands of pounds of tax payers money for every person placed there - and there's 300+ people on these courses in every town and city in the country! The people they employ as 'tutors' have no teaching qualifications whatsoever. They come from bouncers jobs, warehouseing and the TA! The main aim of these courses seems to be to 'massage' the unemployment figures.
To cut a long story short, after a lot of unbelievable abuse from the 'tutors', the lady ended up desperate, despairing and demoralised. She could not sleep, and was afraid for her own safety in the building where this 'course' was held, so she got a doctors note which signed her off for 6 weeks with depression. She has applied for ESA but has heard nothing yet.
The husband stuck it out for another 10 days before he gave up - after being falsely accused of going drinking in the morning whilst on the course( he went & bought a sausage roll from a bakers when he was on a break and was backed up by their own security guard). Another level of ignorance shown by the 'tutors' was that he was accused of being in the IRA by the same one who accused him of drinking (he mentioned he used to be in the Irish army). It's a good job the 'tutor' was a 'woman'. This gentleman used to run his own business and has worked all his life! Now they have been cut off from all benefits, with no warning, no letters, no phone calls, no e-mails from the JSA advisors or A4E 'tutors'. The first they knew of it was a letter to say their claim had ended. This means no money whatsoever.
Also, when they were put on this New Deal, they were sent letters to say that help with their mortgage - the Mortgage Interest Payments, for which they qualified for originally up to September 2011, would stop being paid by the end of June 2011 (when the 13 week' course' was to end). Now, as all benefits have been stopped, they've been informed that the mortgage help they received has now been stopped from the end of April 2011.
The wife had been appealing the original decision to stop the MIP in June as they still received 10 pence IB JSA, therefore they should still be eligible to receive help with the mortgage. Shouldn't there even be a mortgage run-on? Anyway, has anyone got any advice at all as they are high and dry at the moment? Please don't say 'get a job' as they are constantly seeking and going after work, live in a high unemployment area and are desperate. They will be appealing this 'decision' but need to know if anyone else has been through this mess. I can't believe that they weren't even sanctioned before having everything cut off suddenly! Anyone heard of this or got any advice? Is this legal?
The New Deal was unbearable. They were sent to A4E for this 13 week 'course'. They were put in separate rooms, as A4E said they had a 'couples policy' to keep them apart, which didn't seem to apply to all as there were couples in some of the other rooms. The wife was put in an all-male (aged in their 20's) room who bragged about their jail sentances, burgling and drug dealing & who knows what else. The 'tutor' held no teaching qualifications and constantly traded base and lewd remarks with the youths.
Each room contained 40+ people crowded inside with 5 computers between them - none of which you were able to access as the youths constantly played games on them. The lady had been there 2 weeks and had access to the computer for a total of 1 hour for a job search. Wheras at home they've got 24 hour access to the internet. They had to sit there from 9am to 4pm, every day, Monday to Friday 'job searching' with out of date newspapers.
These 'courses' are run by private companies who are being paid thousands of pounds of tax payers money for every person placed there - and there's 300+ people on these courses in every town and city in the country! The people they employ as 'tutors' have no teaching qualifications whatsoever. They come from bouncers jobs, warehouseing and the TA! The main aim of these courses seems to be to 'massage' the unemployment figures.
To cut a long story short, after a lot of unbelievable abuse from the 'tutors', the lady ended up desperate, despairing and demoralised. She could not sleep, and was afraid for her own safety in the building where this 'course' was held, so she got a doctors note which signed her off for 6 weeks with depression. She has applied for ESA but has heard nothing yet.
The husband stuck it out for another 10 days before he gave up - after being falsely accused of going drinking in the morning whilst on the course( he went & bought a sausage roll from a bakers when he was on a break and was backed up by their own security guard). Another level of ignorance shown by the 'tutors' was that he was accused of being in the IRA by the same one who accused him of drinking (he mentioned he used to be in the Irish army). It's a good job the 'tutor' was a 'woman'. This gentleman used to run his own business and has worked all his life! Now they have been cut off from all benefits, with no warning, no letters, no phone calls, no e-mails from the JSA advisors or A4E 'tutors'. The first they knew of it was a letter to say their claim had ended. This means no money whatsoever.
Also, when they were put on this New Deal, they were sent letters to say that help with their mortgage - the Mortgage Interest Payments, for which they qualified for originally up to September 2011, would stop being paid by the end of June 2011 (when the 13 week' course' was to end). Now, as all benefits have been stopped, they've been informed that the mortgage help they received has now been stopped from the end of April 2011.
The wife had been appealing the original decision to stop the MIP in June as they still received 10 pence IB JSA, therefore they should still be eligible to receive help with the mortgage. Shouldn't there even be a mortgage run-on? Anyway, has anyone got any advice at all as they are high and dry at the moment? Please don't say 'get a job' as they are constantly seeking and going after work, live in a high unemployment area and are desperate. They will be appealing this 'decision' but need to know if anyone else has been through this mess. I can't believe that they weren't even sanctioned before having everything cut off suddenly! Anyone heard of this or got any advice? Is this legal?
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