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The 23-year-old from Leicestershire had forgotten to apply for a different role suggested by her Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) job coach – a condition of her universal credit benefit
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“They [my new employer] rang me in there, so she [the job coach] saw me get a job, saw the smile on my face,” Beth told Big Issue. “And then decided to be like, ‘Oh, congratulations, yeah, I’m still gonna have to make a report of the other job.’”
The report triggered a 90-day freeze on her universal credit – longer than the two months she’d actually been receiving the benefit.
“I needed literally one more payment just to get me through that month before I started my job,” Beth said. “It made me so anxious, to the point where you feel sick. I was like, ‘How am I going to buy food?’
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Being on universal credit can be quite a degrading experience,” Beth told Big Issue. “Like, when you’re someone who really does want to work and stuff, because they kind of treat you as if you don’t.
Source:
https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-ju ... n-new-job/That last quote is very true.
Can't say I'm surprised by this news story. Job Centres, in my experience, are often counterproductive to getting a job or any support. They've gotten in my way more than they've ever helped.
We need change. We need a system that helps the vulnerable instead of sneering at them.
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Support human artists!
Near the spectrum but not on it.
18 Aug 2025, 3:43 pm
