‘Don’t punish the working people’

Unfortunately, not everybody was born with a silver spoon in their mouth, but the majority do their best with what they have and require some support from the system that they pay into.

I am an income support claimant with a full-time job. My income covers the rent and bills and the income support we receive feeds our family that includes myself, my wife and our three children. Should that be taken away, we would no longer be able to afford to eat, let alone pay for doctors’ appointments and extra utilities during the colder months.

We don’t go on holidays and are rarely able to treat our kids to nice things.

If my wife was to go to work, which we constantly look into, all of her wages would have to go on childcare for someone else to look after our children. Not to mention that due to the nature of my job, I have to work early, late and night shifts which makes it very difficult for her to find a job to fit around my shift rota while our two youngest are not at school.

So the purpose of me explaining my situation is to give Deputy St Pier an insight into the life of somebody who is doing their utmost to keep his family’s head above water on an overpriced island. It has not even been half a year since income support has been in place and already the financial heads are looking at ways to turn the screw and make it more difficult for the islanders who don’t necessarily want the support, but have no choice. I am sick to the back teeth of the stigma associated with getting help from the States, which has been amplified by the lazy people who choose not to get a job in the first place. Why don’t the States look at making life more difficult for them, instead of punishing the working people, to make their savings targets?

NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD.

Editor’s footnote: Deputy Gavin St Pier, president of the Policy & Resources Committee, replies:

‘Thank you for the opportunity to respond and clarify, as I fear your correspondent has greatly misunderstood the Policy & Resources Committee’s position. The committee is fully supportive of income support, exactly for people in the circumstances your correspondent describes. The changes resulting from the introduction of income support have increased the level of support in those types of circumstances by around £4.25m. a year. The committee has simply raised the question of whether people who arrive in the island should be able to claim income support on day one. Many jurisdictions have minimum residency periods before being able to claim and the committee thinks it reasonable to suggest that we should consider adopting a similar approach. The full letter of comment can be found on the States of Guernsey website, within the Billet D’Etat for the 24 October States meeting.’