Income Support ‘is not working’
Friday 2nd January 2009, 3:00PM GMT.
A SHOCKING draft report has revealed huge flaws in the new States-run £64 million Income Support benefit package.
The catalogue of alleged errors includes money being wasted on overpayments and a lack of support for the vulnerable, sick and elderly, leading to one claimant lying dead in his flat for weeks who might be alive today had parish community visits been kept up. The report, produced by former welfare staff from the Parish of St Helier, says that staff running Income Support are ‘very reluctant’ to visit vulnerable people in their homes and that the weekly visits to vulnerable claimants under the old welfare system have stopped.
It says that one claimant – identified only as ‘Mr M’ – was found badly decomposed in his flat weeks after he had died. The report says that had the weekly visits been kept up, he might still be alive today. The report on the impact of the first six months of the new Income Support package has been leaked to the JEP in its draft form after being sent to the new Social Security Minister and the ten St Helier Deputies.
Income Support, a £64 million package of benefits, began at the start of 2008 and replaced several old benefits, including the old parish welfare.
Pictured: The report says that scenes of neglect like this could have been avoided under the old system
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I earn £25,000.00 a year and I am on a significant tax rate of 14%. I am expected to look after my Girlfriend and 6 week old son on this wage. I am struggling obviously. At the moment we have no help, my Girlfriend is local and gets no help from the states.
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One of the richest econimies in the world leaves people to die alone.
What a culture we have in this Island.
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income support
the carpet, to sweep it all under.
aint life swell?
NOT!
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I reiterate the Bailiffs words “A small nation capable of great things” but what has the islands’ government actually achieved. Just look at the headlines in the local paper at the start of 2009 and draw your own conclusions. Mr Bailiff please keep quiet until we have something to be proud of regarding the elderly and the working class which it seems you know nothing about.
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Well there you go thanks to States elderly people are not be monitored correctly all because it costs money is there something missing from their brains remember they have worked hard and gave into this gov the least the states can do is give back..what kind of an island are we living in…get of your butts into action and be more productive and help those who need and stop feeding the rich….and your own pocket help the needy and be some ascertive with people needs……this island has so much money that the states just doesn’t want to part with it….but constantly take from us…They should get a grip and use their brains.
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Why is it that someone had to die before this farce of an income support system was brought to light. Those of us who have been on this so called wonderful system were promised it would be better ! well this goes to prove it is not. Bring back the old system as they say if it aint broke why fix it. The old system was much better and more personal.
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Mr D. Why should the states, sorry, why should I as a tax payer help you out financially. Did you not make provisions to ensure that during the period that your girlfriend couldn’t work that you would be able to support her and your child financially? If not, then why should it be my responsibility to bail you out?
I am sick of people whingeing about how hard up they are and that they think they should be entitled to all sorts of handouts.
when will people learn that they need to take responsibility for themselves.
I have children and guess what. We saved up and waited so we could support ourselves financially during that period when my wife wasn’t working, and yes, we had to make some sacrifices, but we did it gladly because that is part of life. and we are both local and the last thing that entered our minds were that the states of jersey should give us money because we made the choice to have children.
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Sadly the culture of this Island is greed, selfishness and the worship of the God of money. What a sad reflection in an Island that not so long ago boasted that it was one of the richest places in the world! Rich in compassion and care?-I think not.
Already in the first few days of this new year we have headlines of a failure in the Income Support system, no redundancy law in the Island and OAP’s and others having to suffer during the cold winter because of the increases in electricity. So….Mr ‘Man of the people’ Le Sueur, have you any good news for 2009?
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I think the Island is in a tragic state!!!!!! Income support does not help the people who are in need and as mentioned above in several comments there are no people interactions anymore so hence these poor elders of ours are left to live in scum and total discomfort. I am a local girl with 2 local born children and am currently going through divorce so am new to the whole income support way of living, and before hand my husband and I both local taxpaying Social Security paying people. Now I am left with a part time job and have to have the rest of my income made up by Income Support, well I have a lovely 3 bedroom house with garden which I am so very lucky to have. Only thing is me and my 2 children are confined to 1 room during the day and at 7pm at night when my youngest soes to bed me and my other child follows as we can’t afford to heat the home!!!!!!!!! we have no money for doctors appointments weekly shopping is a thing of the past and family outings are a very rare treat. I Challenge any deputy or mmm MR Terry Le Main to come live in my shoes for 1 week trade places with me in my home on my budget and let me live their fantastic wealthy life!!!!! Bet ya they won’t cause they know they would not survive on what most of us poor hard working Islanders do………. From a very upset angry mum of 2.
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64 million a year = over 1 million a week
population of 90,0000 ish, and a lot of people working, where is this money going, apart from into the gready landlords pockets , that untill recently where emptying the pockets of the housing department.
income support replaced somthing that we had before, and was supposed to save money
a far brighter person than myself wrote in a report that rent rebate should not be introduced if it would raise rents.
which it did .
its time to look at removing the ceiling of social secrity payments
and level the playing feild a bit.
i work and and do know people who are on income support or existance money as i would prefer to call it.
richest ecconomy?
at times moraly bankrupt.
i dont mind paying even if i grumble when i see my weekly payment on my wage slip.
but like as i am sure we all do , the money
spent and administered correctly.
not on consultants, frogs up poles, steam clocks and doomed studys.
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Here here Ms Gosselin I total know where you are coming from as a divorced mother of 2 children, all I can say is that we cut our cloth accordingly and somehow we make it work and if like me, we go with out so that our children dont miss out on too much. I did not intend to end up in this postition when I got married and had children & I have gone back to work but with child care cost sky high I cant pay for child care so can only work part time. I also would like to see people like Terry le S live life like I do, and every time I make ends meet and think ok I can treat my children to something some else like the JEC help to pull the ends apart ! Good Luck Ms G I know how you feel and sadly you are not alone !! This island is in a very sorry state with everyone out for themselves as is proved when someone can lie dead for week unknown very very sad.
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The report doesn’t actually say why staff are ‘very reluctant’ to visit vulnerable people in their homes. Anyone know the answer to that one?
John, you make some very good points. I have not yet had children because I cannot afford to do so. I am well educated, I don’t doubt I would make a good parent but maybe I’m actually educated enough to know that if I can’t afford it I shouldn’t do it. And yes, people fall on hard times through no fault of their own, I am not remotely criticising those people.
However, when I started my working life I was extremely healthy and extremely hardworking. I never took redundancy from the state (even when I could have) and never took unemployment benefit between jobs. I had saved money and I used it to get by. Then through no fault of my own (I suffered 9 family and close friend bereavements among other traumas within 11 months!) I found myself extremely ill and unable to work. Unfortunately with my illness not being ‘visible’ (although anyone who knows me can clearly see it) I have been unable to get any support whatsoever and now find myself deeply in debt and with a bad credit rating. I have worked hard for years and years and have NEVER taken from the state. I have paid my taxes for services that I never even used for two decades. Through no fault of my own I become ill (and I still work as much as I can) and no one will give me the support I need to get back to full health and full-time work, which is what I want, not a free ride, just to get back to full-time employment. It’s amazing how much you can pay the state just to be abandoned at your own time of need! And it is quite sickening that my money is going to false benefit claimants!
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If you need help and have no money go to income support. as for false claimants i am sure there are some, but you have to help yourself go and see how the system works it is a mess half the staff are very young and offten the wrong advice given,it needs a major overhaul before they get it right
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Welfare / Low Income Support should have remained with the parishes – whenever anything becomes centralised the “human” aspect gets lost along with flexibility and allowances for personal circumstances and inevitably ends up costing the taxpayer a great deal more.
Some parishes were burdened with an excessive welfare bill but the thousands of pounds wasted on setting up and running this new system could have easily subsidised these parishes so that their rates were on a par with the rest of the parishes.
Simon Crowcroft is trying to do the right thing.
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agreed mrs gossilin i worked hard all my life,paid social,income tax etc and get basic pension which doe,nt go very far with the ever rising costs we face every day.jersey has never looked after their own,joe public doe,st come into their equation,even though pension is higher than uk,we are much worse off as cost of living is spiralling out of contol,while in uk the food prices have lowered somewhat ours is going up,same with electricity and other services.trying to stay warm on mimimum heating is my priority just now
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Since this news broke it has got worse, trying to get payments for glasses or teeth is a nightmare your told one thing by a person at a desk only to be countered by another it’s a scam to with hold your money very bad staff poorly trained.
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