Jobless ‘have to walk 14 miles to sign on’
Councillor’s fury at dole rules
15.07.2017 Some new benefit claimants from Bridge of Weir are being forced to walk 14 miles to sign on, it’s claimed.
Unemployed people from the village have to visit the Port Glasgow Jobcentre to sign up for Universal Credit, despite there being a job hub just down the road in Johnstone.
Councillor for the area Natalie Don blasted the rollout of the new system, saying several of her constituents have made the 14-mile round trip on foot, with one left bleeding after the journey.
She said: “This decision ignores the fact that many people who are signing on for the first time do not have money to travel and where the previous jobcentre was in a walkable distance, Port Glasgow is not.
“One constituent, who had no choice but to make this journey on foot, has stated to me that his feet were bleeding by the time he got back to Bridge of Weir.”
Claimants must attend the Port Glasgow Jobcentre Plus for their initial interview as the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) rolls out its new Universal Credit system.
Councillor Don added: “It is shocking that residents in Bridge of Weir are having to attend interviews in Port Glasgow when the nearest jobcentre is just three miles away in Johnstone.
“Not only are there two jobcentres which are closer, but Port Glasgow is in a completely different council area. Residents of Bridge of Weir, who receive their housing benefit from Renfrewshire Council are being asked to travel to a jobcentre in a different council area to attend appointments, which is absolutely ridiculous.”
She added that the new setup also fails to recognise that Bridge of Weir, despite its relative affluence, has problems with unemployment.
“Not only does this emphasise the inadequate way this benefit is being rolled out but it also suggests an attitude that residents in Bridge of Weir will not have any problems travelling to Port Glasgow, in spite of the fact that they are on benefits.
“It should not be taken for granted that everyone coming from an affluent area such as Bridge of Weir is wealthy. There is poverty throughout the whole of Renfrewshire and the DWP needs to recognise that,” she explained.
The DWP says around 25 people in Bridge of Weir are affected by the roLLout, but that after their initial interviews at Port Glasgow, they can transfer their claim back to Johnstone and claim for travel costs.
A DWP spokesperson said: “People are only asked to attend an initial interview at Port Glasgow, and then they can choose to move their claim to Johnstone.
“Work coaches at Por t Glasgow will know if a claimant is travelling from Bridge of Weir and can put appropriate support in place, including rearranging missed appointments due to travel disruption and offering to reimburse the costs of their journey, making sure people can receive that money on the same day.”