Last week, it was reported that a jobseeker in Selly Oak tied himself to railings outside a jobcentre and set fire to himself. It is alleged that he was driven to such desperate actions because of the non-payment of a benefit – as Deborah Padfield has outlined here, many people struggle when they fall into the gap between being refused for Employment Support Allowance and starting to receive Jobseekers’ Allowance. For those living on the very edge, a delay of days can be enough to leave them with nothing. Waiting weeks while computers process applications can be too long.
A document was distributed to jobcentre employees last April that contained a “six-point plan” to help them deal with claimants who threaten suicide. It states:
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