Doors open at last for licence-row dad

LICENCE . . . Duncan Brown

A FATHER-OF-THREE has slammed Oldham Job Centre for delaying him in getting work.

But after an ongoing saga, the Union Street facility has agreed to pay for a counterpart licence which Duncan Brown needed to get a job as a door supervisor.

The 36-year-old from Royton, who was made redundant before Christmas, had already completed a two-week course run by the National Open College Network on different aspects of door security, including physical intervention and conflict management.

But Mr Brown still required £230 for the relevant badge and associated administration in order to work in security.

In interview, he impressed bosses at a security firm in Manchester, who initially offered him eight hours of work, leading to further work if he proved himself.

Mr Brown said: “When I rang the job centre to say I had found work, they told me eight hours per week is not enough to take me off benefit and I would need to get a letter from the firm or another employer offering me at least 24 hours’ work a week.

“The eight hours I was offered was great, but understandably, the company needed to see if I cut the mustard — but I couldn’t do it without the badge, which I couldn’t afford.

“I can’t understand why the Government is wasting £500 putting people through these courses which are useless if they aren’t prepared to pay for the licence.”

Mr Brown said a friend of his, who had taken an identical course through Middleton Job Centre, had been given the money for the licence without question.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said that the job centre had never “refused” the badge but were still considering Mr Brown’s circumstances.

She said the job centre would now pay for the badge — and that the team had done everything possible to help Mr Brown find work.