The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) recently rang and told me they no longer pay into a P.O. card account and they won't pay by giro. I'm now on DWP computer file as a 'refusal' while income support department can and have paid by giro cheque without any direct contact with me at all. The DWP appear to be in complete turmoil, just today they're stating in their latest weekly letter that they aren’t sure if I live at this address, talk about paranoid, they called me and gave me the third degree now they're playing mind games.

It seems that the bullying, intimidation and confidence destroying tactics, that I personally recall, of the old Job Centre/Unemployment office staff are now being used against all benefit claimants. So we're all suspects now! Typically we have government departments having differing and often opposing implementation of policies. I welcome the stand and support of the PCS in Sheffield for benefit claimants, we need to see some joint action between workers and claimants to defend jobs, services, welfare benefits, workers and claimants rights.

The P.O. card accounts (run by US CITIBANK International PLC) are set up without any proof of identity hassles, a bank account requires an array of identity and residence evidence to prove you're who you say you are, even if you just want an account to put money into you'll be asked for a driving licence and/or a passport, and a council photo bus pass simply won't do even for pensioners.

The majority of claimants don't have driving licences or passports. My personal suspicions are that the P.O. card account was/is merely a transitionary method to get all benefit claimants off payment books and giros, the ultimate aim to force all claimants to have to set up a bank account. The knock on effect will be fewer people using their remaining local P.O.s and buying their food and other supplies at their local shops. This will obviously directly benefit big business, the supermarkets and the banks at the expense of local shops and communities. Bare in mind that the government has granted the right of access by utilities, local councils and other authorities to all our bank account files, despite some fluffy thinking individuals claiming this simply isn't true, it was enabled by the government last year.

Consider your weekly benefit spending linked to your supermarket loyality card or if you buy your weekly shopping on your P.O. or bank card there will be a payment trail on what you are spending your weekly benefit on, even if it's just down to the amount you spent at supermarket A on a specific date and time. Don’t think that the DWP won’t harass or question what or where you’ve spent your benefit money on, because they will. Here are some examples both actual and possible.

As an example it’s already happening for needy students at colleges or universities, when you apply for an ‘access grant’ to help you make you make ends meet, the access fund officers demand to see your bank account statements and wants to know literally what your income and outgoing costs are and you won’t get an access grant if you’ve not already taken out the now obligatory bank overdraft and a student loan.

When you become a ‘new’ tenant of a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) which includes the housing associations and housing companies they want your National Insurance number, your birth certificates for all household members, bank statements, copies of all utility bills, a credit check and other information as well.

Think about this future possibility, if you ask for a ‘community care’ grant in an emergency (you are usually refused at first and have to appeal) and the DWP (or whatever the DSS is then called) will demand to see your bank statements and ask if you’ve requested a bank overdraft already. Yes you are in an emergency situation and to add to your misery you are put through the gruesome means test and humiliation process to get a cash handout to alleviate your immediate dire circumstances.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: NUMEROUS –SEEMINGLY- SEPARATE BUT LINKED ISSUES!

ID CARDS:
Here we have a vulnerable, unrepresented, unorganised, forgotten section of society to impose government ID cards policy upon - how convenient. It means once all those without banks accounts have been pushed into accepting P.O. card accounts (there will be evermore P.O. closures) benefit claimants can then be forced into setting up a bank accounts or you simply don’t get your pension, income support, sickness benefit, disability living allowance etc.
This will mean the majority who don't have proof of who they are or where they live can then be requested to queue up obediently at one of the remaining central social security offices or even Job Centre Pluses for compulsory photo digitising, finger printing, iris and facial scanning, and while they're at it why not do DNA samples for the ever growing national DNA database. Local housing associations, housing companies and/or the local council might even be sub-contracted to carry out such work, which some have already had a go at. Recently here in Liverpool a local housing company Community Seven in Kensington requested that newly transferred tenants (from council Stock Transfer) present themselves to be photographed and their details be placed on computer file, this was according to a local activist in that area, so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

POST OFFICE CLOSURES:
In Liverpool we've just lost 11 Post Offices in 2004 with many more under threat, what are the CWU doing about it we don’t know, obviously not enough. The counters service section of the P.O. no longer makes a profit since losing the exclusive government contract to pay benefits. Benefit claimants have been encouraged (pressurised) into bank account payment over the past two years. Many have thought this would mean them not having to queue up for twenty minutes or often far longer in winter cold or the rain. This is the part of the P.O. that isn't part of the cherry picking process of the ongoing privatisation of the Post Office, it’s seen as a loss making burden, who says the P.O. has to make a profit, it’s a service!

Due to the P.O. services being rundown and regular sub post office closures and fewer staff employed this has lead to ever longer queues at the remaining main P.O.s just to get a stamp on certain days and at certain times, Monday mornings being the main day for most benefit payments.

Banks which are expected to take this increased pressure and they can't even handle their own customer base now! Banks have suffered from massive branch closures and huge staff cuts over the past decade, not all local communities have a cash machine let alone a bank branch, certainly there isn't one within walking distance of my locality for example and take a look at your local branch at certain times there are queues many people deep (again outside in the cold and rain) waiting to withdraw their wages or benefits from cash machines, inside the branches there are often longer queues to be seen as well.

There was a cash machine in our local P.O. but within months of it being put in it was taken back out again with no explanation. Many banks are charging their customers for withdrawing their own cash from bank cash machines, which again is another issue of growing concern, this is however all part of “THE BIGGER PICTURE”. A further issue has been brought to my attention, cash machines only payout in multiples of £10 notes and many are now moving to paying out in multiples of £20 notes, meaning those who have to withdraw their meagre full weekly benefit to buy food, to pay their rent or buy credit on their fuel cards may not be able withdraw it all to the nearest £5 or even the nearest £3, £2, £1 or 50p that's if they can find a cash machine in their neighbourhood in the first place. If there’s no local cash machine it will mean another cost getting the bus to a cash machine or a local bank or a large supermarket so you can get some cash back with your card.

FACT: You can not withdraw £9.99 or anything less from a cash machine!

JOBS AND OFFICE CLOSURES:
Jobs are being threatened throughout the entire social security system and many offices are being marked for closure. There are undoubtedly more policy changes being readied in the pipeline behind the scenes, this also includes evermore means testing, evermore checks and humiliations for all benefit claimants.

In conclusion if Blair gets his third term then wave ‘bye-bye’ to what remains of the Welfare State and the NHS, we’ve nearly lost all ‘council housing’ and public funded access to Higher Education.

LATEST: I've heard about a case of a Job Centre+ threatening one claimant who's been overpaid with court and are charging them an AD-PEN (Additional Penalty) 30% on top of their overpayment and this was on appeal. More when I can get it... So they'll be paying £1000+£300=£1300