MP Philip Dunnes's mail victory for job seekers in Bishop's Castle
Job seekers in Bishop's Castle will be allowed to sign on by post after their MP intervened on their behalf.
Unemployed people claiming jobseeker's allowance in the town will no longer have to travel more than an hour to the nearest Jobcentre to sign on, but instead can do so by mail, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has ruled.
The decision has been made after Ludlow MP Philip Dunne raised the case on behalf of people in Bishop's Castle whose nearest Jobcentre in in Shrewsbury. He pointed out it could take someone most of a morning or afternoon to get there and back, for a session lasting just minutes.
Mr Dunne said he wrote to the DWP to demonstrate that door-to-door journey times for his constituents travelling from Bishop's Castle to a Jobcentre exceed the one hour limit, in any direction, using public transport, making them eligible to sign on by mail. Claimants will still have to attend work search interviews at the Jobcentre, which happen on average every 13 weeks but depend on how long a person has been claiming jobseekers allowance.
Mr Dunne said: "I'm delighted my representations to the DWP have made clear claimants in south west Shropshire around the Bishop's Castle area are now able to make use of postal signing. This will help reduce the travel burden on claimants, so they can spend more time productively looking for work rather than travelling."
