The post you are reporting:
My younger brother has been trying for literally hundreds of jobs since he was made redundant in March. He is happy to move/work anywhere in the county to get a job.
He has had no help whatsoever from the job-Centre in Hythe (near Southampton) even when he's asked for it, they have said "we may do that for you, if you ask nicely" - can you believe that ? (you can because it's true). They help complete the benefit claim forms, but not to get a job - how mad/bad is that ?
I have written to Chris Grayling, the Employment Miinister, Ian Duncan-Smith the Minister for the Department for Works and Pensions and have had the most dismissive reply back. Not from either Minister as they don't reply, just some numpty in that department.
I wrote again giving specific examples of the uselessness of job-centre staff asking why won't they help older people (he's 58) back to work - again, another non-answer.
He was told he would get tax-credits, not job-seekers allowance (why, when he wasn't working her asked - no reply to that question); after 4 months the job-centre staff said they would have to pay back all that tax-credit money as it was a mistake to have paid them, but they still weren't going to give them any JSA. They have literally no money, so how could they pay it back ?
"You'll have to go to prison then" was the somewhat stupid answer.
There is so much wrong with the employment sector; the Ministers don't know what's actually happening in the Job-Centres, the job-centre staff seem to be absolutely incompetant and care even less about helping people.
I hope these people never end up out of work - maybe I do, they'll then see how much help they get, how useless people are and how little they care about getting people back to work.
He starts a new job next Monday in Kent; he's going to be staying with me and Jean for a while during the week and going home week-ends.
Roger