From April, the long-term unemployed will be forced to either do 30 hours a week of community work; such as picking up litter, making food for the elderly, working for charity or attend a jobcentre every day. People who break the rules once will lose four weeks benefit worth about £230, while a second infringement could cost them three months, which is £690. The so-called "Help to Work" scheme will be open to people who have failed to find a job through the government's main work programme, a two-year process which provides support, training and work experience.
Britain is slowly emerging from a deep recession and unemployment is falling, reaching 7.7 percent in May to July this year, but long-term unemployment remains stubbornly high. Official figures from the same period reveal that 469,000 people have been out of work for more than two years, up 27,000 from a year earlier.
"For the first time, all long-term unemployed people who are capable of work will be required to do something in return for their benefits to help them find work," Mr Osborne will announce. "And for those with underlying problems, like drug addiction and illiteracy, there will be an intensive regime of help." He will also say "No one will be ignored or left without help. But no one will get something for nothing." The Tories claim the economic recovery is a vindication of their austerity programme, which remains unpopular and drew fifty thousand* trade unionists out in protest in Manchester on Sunday. But Mr Osborne will insist that he is not complacent, saying: "This battle to turn around Britain it is not even close to being over."
Continuing Ms Reeves commented: "With Labour's plans we would work with employers to ensure there are jobs for young people and the long term unemployed - which they would have to take up or lose benefits. Under the Tory scheme people would still be allowed to languish on the dole for years on end without having a proper job. After just two days of their Conference, the Tories have made £1 billion of unfunded spending commitments. But the Tories still haven't set out how they will help most working people, who are on average £1500 worse off since David Cameron came to office, with the cost of living crisis."
Concluding Ms Reeves said: "By pressing ahead with a tax cut for millionaires and opposing the measures we announced last week to freeze energy prices and expand free childcare for working parents, the Tories have shown just how out of touch they are."
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rachel Reeves, responding to George Osborne's plans for the Help to Work scheme, said: "It's taken three wasted years of rising long-term unemployment and a failed Work Programme to come up with this new scheme. But this policy is not as ambitious as Labour's compulsory jobs guarantee, which would ensure there is a paid job for every young person out of work for over 12 months and every adult unemployed for more than 2 years."
Continuing Ms Reeves commented: "With Labour's plans we would work with employers to ensure there are jobs for young people and the long term unemployed - which they would have to take up or lose benefits. Under the Tory scheme people would still be allowed to languish on the dole for years on end without having a proper job. After just two days of their Conference, the Tories have made £1 billion of unfunded spending commitments. But the Tories still haven't set out how they will help most working people, who are on average £1500 worse off since David Cameron came to office, with the cost of living crisis."
Concluding Ms Reeves said: "By pressing ahead with a tax cut for millionaires and opposing the measures we announced last week to freeze energy prices and expand free childcare for working parents, the Tories have shown just how out of touch they are."
*estimate from Greater Manchester Police.
