Government signals commitment to improving bus access for wheelchair users READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-signals-commitment-to-improving-bus-access-for-wheelchair-users

Hi, the answer I need is on the jsa claimant commitment of " most hours I can work each week". The reason is I have a long term disability, 2 years ago on my claim I had this on 24 hours. I started work and claimed working tax credits on 24 hours. but my employer was pushing my hours in a very demanding job for my disability up to 50 plus hours per week. I complained to head office and got no where so resigned from the position. I made a claim for jsa today and the "work coach" said that as I had done 50 hours then 40 hours full time would be on my claim for "hours I can work". I wondered if there was a set amount of hours like working tax credits if you are disabled that is accepted by them to put on the form. thank you.

I am mightily confused. I have been signing on for 12 months, at the start of my claim I signed a claimant commitment stating I will do X number of steps each week to find work, IE look in papers, ask family and friends, use UJM etc. I completed my job search online and always filled in my activity history on UJM, ensuring I recorded X number of steps as required in my claimant commitment. Part way through the year I was told not to use UJM instead I was given a paper template to fill that stated I must do 35 hours job search per week, this had a section to fill stating the time each task took. Some time later I was issued with a pie chart diagram which showed different activities I could include in my 35 hour job search. Now I have been given another paper template form which states I have to apply for and record 10 vacancies jobs per week. What the heck as happened to my claimant commitment, no where in that did I agree to a 35 hour week job search nor did it state when I signed it that it was a requirement. Secondly, I would never agree to applying for X amount of vacancies per week , what if the only suitable vacancies are ones I have already applied for. And now they have just reissued me a new claimant commitment to sign which is basically same as my old one except they have added “ engage with the work program” Can they enforce this 10 job application rule and what is in place to prevent me from just jotting down bogus applications. Obviously I am fulfilling my claimant commitment still but as there is no actual way to record that activity any more am I even obligated to carry it out. From what I can gather the 35 hour per week is only a suggestion and not enforceable as long as client shows they have took reasonable steps they cannot be sanctioned but I cannot find any info at all regarding the 10 vacancies per week.

Just after a bit of feedback please. I work nights 4 nights on 4 nights off, the company requires me to attend a 3 day First Aid course, I have no problem with this but these would be on my rest days which are sacred to me due to family ill health at the moment. I work 12 hour shifts on nights but the course is daytime as already stated, I would be attending the course on 3 days that I would be on nights, however, I would start my 4 nights the day previously, the assistant manager has suggested that I come off nights and work 4 12 hour days in order to do the course, I haven't worked days EVER here and have been here for almost 11 years. What I am prepared to do is be removed from nights but not work 4 day shifts which would mean starting at 07:30, leave for the course starting at 9am then returning daily after the course finishes working on till 19:30, would I be right in thinking that I wouldn't have to start the day shift or complete it as the training would be a duty commitment? Sorry its a bit long winded but any advice would be appreciated.

Universal Credit and your Claimant Commitment. This PDF was issued in February of this year and maybe of interest to some, it may help you understand what is expected from as a claimant and what you need to do to continue to claim UC. It also covers many other things like... Universal Credit changes as things change in your life. Your responsibilities will vary depending on such things as your family, your health and your potential for future earnings. See page one There are many links within this attachment and it would pay you to try to read up on as much as you can, this could stop you getting sanctioned, if you fail with your agreed commitment plan.. Information gathered from here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-your-claimant-commitment-quick-guide

Just stumbled on this story, has this been posted on here already? and is it actually being implemented yet ? would appear that this government will stop at nothing when it comes to causing pain and suffering to the poor and vulnerable http://www.welfareweekly.com/dwp-gets-tough-sickness-benefit-claimants/

Hi guys, hope someone can help me with this. Attended my first Universal Credit appointment today and went through the usual paperwork. I’ve not granted them access to my UJM account and didn’t sign the Claimant Commitment after arguing most of the points. I’ve attached it so I could get some feedback first. I’m especially interested about the 35 hours they quote, (29 in my case) I know this isn’t applicable to the JSA agreement, but does the CC still count as a JSA agreement? It all seems very vague and so I don’t want to get caught out. Any links or further advice would be extremely helpful, cheers in advance. PC.

The following two extracts from the DWP website endeavour to explain what the Claimant Commitment means: 1 “What the JSA Claimant Commitment means As from 14th October 2013 new jobseekers will have to account more clearly for their efforts to find work in order to receive their benefit. New claimants to Jobseeker's Allowance will now need to sign a Claimant Commitment which sets out more fully what they need to do in order to receive state support - building on current support and providing clear information about the consequences of failing to meet requirements." 2 “What the JSA Claimant Commitment means When someone makes a new claim for JSA or returns to JSA from the Work Programme they will attend an interview with a work coach. At the interview they will agree a personal plan outlining what the claimant will do as part of their Claimant Commitment to give themselves the best chance of finding work. This could include regular specific tasks and training opportunities. The work coach will explain the penalties claimants could face for failing to meet their responsibilities to get into work. They will review the plan regularly.” Both explanations stipulate that the JSA-CC will be applicable to new JSA claimants and they do not mention existing JSA claimants. My question is; Can anyone who has been on JSA for some time and has a current and active Jobseeker's Agreement (JSAg) be compelled to forsake their JSAg and sign up to a JSA-CC that will inevitably be more severe and have reduced claimant rights?

I will try to keep this brief: We were in financial difficulty and so in July 2012 we gave the keys of our house back to the bank as voluntary repossession and left. We moved from England to Scotland and started afresh. Around xmas time my wives parents forwarded mail from the council to us which was a bill for council tax. I wrote on the bill that we had given the house back to the bank and they should pursue them, and sent it back to the council. Fast forward to October 2013 and we get a letter direct saying we hadn't paid the council tax and that fees had been added. I wrote back telling them exactly what I had written previously. It's been to and fro since then, with them acting like they are above the law. They haven't sent any bills marked Reminder of Final Notice to our address (or any address). They haven't sent any letters before action to our address. They haven't sent any letters giving us a date for the hearings. They haven't sent any letters regarding action after obtaining liability orders - which were apparently gained on the same day as the summons'. They haven't sent any liability orders to us - either a council construct or an original legal document. They even admitted failing to send them to me - they claim to have sent things to our previous address. They instructed bailiffs to contact us - even though we're now in Scotland and this is not allowed. I've complained and pulled them up on loads of stuff but they are trying to fob us off. I have also explained that we haven't paid anything because we simply don't have any money - we wouldn't have given our house up if we had money!!! It seems that because I'm standing up to them they are now saying that they are going to the magistrates and asking for a warrant of commitment and recommending we are sent to prison. This seems like they know they're in the wrong and are just trying to punish us for standing up to their bully boy tactics. I am going to put in an escalation to the complaint today and say that because none of the letters they say they sent were to our current address then the law says we haven't received them and as such they should set aside all summons/liability orders etc. I've seen it suggested somewhere that I can ask the magistrates to set aside the liability orders because of this. Any thoughts on this? How do I go about getting a magistrate to set aside liability orders?

Hi, I went and signed on yesterday and had an appointment made for me to see an advisor as I needed to change from a jobseekers agreement to a claimant commitment and that I needed to allow them access to my universal jobmatch account as well as a my work plan booklet, I think that is what it was called. I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety by my doctor but they are reluctant to sign me off, so am I able to mention this next week and will it make any difference. I suffer severe anxiety in new situations and have to even take someone with me when I sign on as I see a different person every time and I get extremely anxious about that. Not heard about any of these things so just looking for some advice. Thanks

Got an interview next week at the JC, supposedly to get me to sign up to a Claimant Commitment document. Now I know new claimants and those who returned from the WP before a certain date could expect to get one, but I thankfully returned later and am still on Post Work Support. Is it now policy for everyone to switch from JS Agreement to Claimant Commitment or are they just trying it on? The way I see it, I already have an existing contract with the DWP - my JS Agreement. I know we're all supposed to have a Claimant Commitment when UC rolls out but that's not happened yet. After searching the 'net I can't find anything that says it's definitely now compulsory for everyone to have a Claimant Commitment; anyone else have solid info?

Hi guys, I hope you can help me. I signed on for the first time a few days ago. I should have really signed on, a long time, due to not having enough regular work, but i remember how the advisors at the job centre, take pride in intimidation and decided that i would rather be broke than have to deal with their insultive mannerisms. i arrive for my 1st meeting with Advisor 1. She looked like she was very board to see me, the feeling was mutual. After getting me to sign what i had agreed in my online application form, she gave me no copy, she walked me over to the 2nd Advisor. She was colder than the first and didn't even speak to me, she just kept on typing. when i asked what she was doing, she said delating templates. If i looked at the screen for too long then, she would switch the screen, to numbers, lots of different numbers. When i asked what was happening, she said that she had been having problems with the computer. But only when i was looking at the screen. Typical….. Anyway, after about 15 mins, she gave me my claimant commitment. as soon as i started to read it, amazingly, after 15 mins of only talking when i spoke to her she started to talk to me… .I WILL USE JOBSITES AND EMPLOYERS WEBSITES …..I WILL LOG ON TO UNIVERAL JOBMATCH… ..I WILL RESPOND PROMTLY TO CONTACTS/EMPLOYERS AND JOBSITES , after the 5th, I WILL, I asked if this was compulsory …remember i was trying to read the claimant commitment, she said it was a requirement for JSA. All of this took over 40mins. I obviously knew that they at the job centre would take advantage of my unemployed status but i wasn't prepared for what actually really happened. As i said, the 2nd advisor only spoke to respond to my questions and then, the I WILL section, that she fired at me, whilst i was trying to read the so called agreement. A few days later i decided to read the so called commitment, only to find that i had agreed to, Available for all types of work Travel 90mins each way to work Available any time any day for min 40hrs Hrs The only thing i agreed to was all the I WILL section, because of the false info she gave me. Fact is i didn't agree simply because she didn't ask me. What am i gonna do?