20-mile trip and a £5 bus fare for the jobless to sign on after Leek One Stop Shop closes

UNEMPLOYED people will be forced to make a 20-mile trek to sign on from Monday.

Claimants in Leek must travel to Hanley after the closure of a signing-on centre at a council One Stop Shop in Stockwell Street.

The trip to Hanley will cost them around £4.90 by bus – putting a dent in their jobseeker's allowance of £56.25 (under-25) or £71 (over-25).

The One Stop Shop arrangement had been in use since Leek Jobcentre closed down in 2006.

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Former Moorlands MP Charlotte Atkins, below, who led the campaign for an alternative service six years ago, said: "It is outrageous that they are closing this service.

"I tried very hard a few years ago to make sure the loss of the Jobcentre had the smallest impact.

"It can cost up to £5 on the bus for people to get to Hanley, which might not be much to some people but it is a lot for those on job seekers."

The closure comes after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claimed it was a temporary arrangement.

But Ms Atkins, now district councillor for Leek North, said: "There was no indication that it was a temporary measure when we set it up. It is attacking the most vulnerable people at a low point and it is not acceptable."

Job seekers are furious at being forced to pay for transport when they are already struggling for money.

Bill Cawley, from Leek, who has campaigned for older people to get back into work, said: "Of course the people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance will not be reimbursed for the £4.90 it takes them to get to Hanley to sign on.

"I heard one claimant told that they had enjoyed a luxury by signing on in Leek.

"A luxury is not the ability of the unemployed to sign on in their own town and effectively having their dole cut."

There will still be an outreach service operating from the council offices but not for the unemployed.

The latest Government figures show there were 1,162 people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in the Staffordshire Moorlands last month, down from 1,190 in April.

Councillor Atkins added: "If they think there is not enough people signing on in Leek then why not just open it a few days a week?

"It is not acceptable that this is stopping."

Mr Cawley, a Morrisons checkout worker, said he thought the job centre originally closed because of the large numbers that were signing on in Leek.

He said: "Now because of staff shortages in the Jobcentre in Hanley the Leek staff have to move, taking their clients with them."

Michelle Stonier, manager at Leek Citizens' Advice Bureau, said: "This is going to cost people £10 a month just to sign on.

"It could mean the difference between eating or not eating that day."

A Department for Work and Pensions Spokesperson said: "Jobcentre Plus has provided a limited, temporary service from the council offices in Leek.

"As the number of visits from claimants has significantly decreased and to ensure claimants benefit from the full range of services available they will be required to travel to the Hanley Jobcentre from Monday, June 25."

The department added that the Leek Office will still continue to provide a service for disabled people and lone parents.