I had planned to write a blog on the 'bedroom tax' today, but events have overtaken me with the staggeringly good news that Cait Reilly, the geology graduate who challenged a decision that required her to leave her voluntary work at a museum and work unpaid at a Poundland store, or lose her Jobseeker's Allowance, has won her case in the Court of Appeal.
So much was wrong about this. For Miss Reilly, what she was doing voluntarily was self-evidently making her more potentially employable in her field of expertise than stacking shelves and cleaning floors at Poundland. The 'taxpayer' paid Miss Reilly her JSA - so she worked 30 hours for what would have been the legal minimum wage for little more than ten - and Poundland got a 'slave' at the State's expense, arguably giving them unfair commercial advantage over companies not involved in the scheme.
And somewhere out there was a worker who would have been quite happy to work in Poundland - albeit for a fair, living wage - but instead was on JSA and depending on their family circumstances possibly also Housing, Council Tax Benefit and Child Tax Credit, instead of working, paying tax, buying more than the absolute bare essentials and contributing to the economy.
So you've got to hand it to the Court of Appeal - this really is a fantastic judgment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21426928
It always frightens me when I hear ordinary working people stating that claimants should have to work for their 'dole money', seemingly oblivious to the risk their own job might come under were that to be the case. Hopefully, this shuts down the nasty, grasping schemes run by the A4es of this world and forces the present Government, and future ones of all political shades, to look at genuine job training and job creation.
As Cait Reilly herself put it: "I agree we need to get people back to work but the best way of doing that is by helping them, not punishing them."
