Wednesday 9 July 2008

Trailblazers??????


I note that the DLCG has announced a new initiative called "Trailblazers." Maybe its me being a cynic but the name alone reminds me of a cowboy tv series, is this a continuation of Caroline Flints speech earlier this year in respect of forcing new council tenants to get jobs?

I have a lot of experience of seeing clients and giving homelessness or housing advice, but I am not a specialist in welfare benefits! Also what is the role of job centres in all this? I bet the staff who have to take on additional duties won't get a pay raise!

This to me is just the government playing politics with people in need. I can not accept that this will benefit any applicants. A cowboy idea from a bunch of cowboys wearing black hats

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You are definitely not cynical. I am amazed that there is not more of an outcry against this daft Trailblazers idea.

If the government are going to give each of the 12 "winner" authorities £350,000.00 then I make that £4.2 million pounds!! This is one of the most tragic examples of pouring tax payers money down the drain I have seen in a long time.

I have lots of dealings with Croydon council. I can report that they are not able to run a housing service properly. Whoever decided that it would be a good idea to spend publuc money to get them to give people advice about employment (isn't that what JobCentrePlus is for?) or anything else must have been off their head. I guess its a sure sign that Caroline Flint is involved. I am all for investing more money in local government but why not spend it on trying to improve their often dreadful performance at doing what they are already supposed to be doing?