Having settled back in Stanhope in a familiar and comfortable role in
the Community Hub, it became apparent that attention needed paying to
the gap between personal income and expenditure.
Whilst the Hub (as the Community Partnership and Community Transport
seem to be commonly known in the Dale) is financially sound, thanks
mostly to the contract work with the Ambulance Service, and the
Wheels to Meals project has funds until November and an invitation
for further support after that, the social entrepreneur role is
really more “volunteer” than entrepreneur, so while the community
energy project simmers, and the book lingers, some action was
required to stave off the likely deficit in a month or two.
A colleague on the Wheels to Meals project introduced the possibility
of a wonderful public subsidy for impecunious householders,called
Housing Benefit. Unlike the out of work subsidies, there is no
requirement to seek jobs, which would make the voluntary and project
development work tricky.
Housing Benefit is administered by the Council, whereas the
unemployment benefit is in the tender care of the national
government, through the Department of Work and Pensions. Feedback
from folks engaged with this Department suggests they are very keen
to reduce the number of customers they have on the books. There are
obvious reasons for this, of course, since long term unemployment can
be very debilitating and benefit dependency an even worse form of
contemporary slavery than paid but unrewarding work. Personal
experience of this system is limited to a couple of brief encounters,
before the heat was really on and they provided an insight into the
role and the relationship with the role player on the other side of
the desk as well as a welcome respite from wage slavery during a
rather dark period following divorce and relocation.
The Council hearabouts is basically sympathetic to support for the
impecunious, being an old fashioned Labour administration, with its
power base still tied up with the coal miningindustry which dominated
Durham for along time before its decimation 30 years ago.
The council officer was very well trained, and put me at ease,
referring frequently to “entitlement” as he completed the
application. Imagine my delight when he revealed that, all being
well, what with the Housing Benefit and Council Tax reduction, an
extra £400 a month was available, which added to the occupational
pension will keep the show on the road (or more accurately, off the
road) until the State Pension begins in November or other income
arrives from seeds planted or who knows what.
So, how does this new role of Benefit Dependent feel?
It feels very good to be free of the slight anxiety which crept in as
a spur to action and enables the continued attention to the important
things in life!
And I am very grateful.
