Jobs Phone in Tenbury Library

As a result of representations from Harriett Baldwin and Ken Pollock, a customer access phone from the Department of Work and Pensions has been provided in Tenbury library. This will allow job seekers access to the full range of phone services at no charge to the users. The phone provides a direct link to the DWP services, including Jobseeker Direct, the facility to search and apply for employment vacancies.

In addition, the Kidderminster and Leominster Jobcentres are forwarding printed summary sheets of vacancies which are now available on a brochure stand by the phone, alongside a wide variety of other information, including advice on writing a good CV.Tenbury library offers its customers free computing facilities and these terminals now have links to the Directgov website that gives easy access to the national vacancy database.

“Harriett and I were concerned that job seekers in the Tenbury area were getting a poor service from the DWP with just monthly visits from their jobs bus. That was helpful but it happened on a day when the library was closed, so that leads could not be easily followed up,” said Councillor Pollock. “Our initial approach to the department indicated that this customer access phone could be a great help for those wanting to get back into work. It’s taken longer than we had hoped but the important thing now is that all who might need it, should know about it.”

The next objective set by Cllr Pollock and Harriett Baldwin is to make arrangements for a room somewhere in the town to be used for those on Jobseekers Allowance to sign on every other week, so they do not have to go to the existing offices in Leominster or Kidderminster.

Cllr Pollock commented “It seems wrong to me to expect the least advantaged in our society to trek to a remote office, just to indicate they are still looking for work and hence entitled to support, when one or two DWP employees could visit the town and set up shop once a fortnight to carry out this simple bureaucratic operation.

No money changes hands so there are no security implications. It would just mean than the few would travel to the many, rather than the many to the few. Now that the jobs phone is installed, I am keen to pursue this objective with the DWP.”