Door opens at last for job-hitch dad

AN employment nightmare is set to end for a dad-of-three who has been living off bread and coffee.

Duncan Brown took a £500 security course and needed its counterpart £230 security badge in order to get a door supervision job.

Oldham Jobcentre agreed to pay for the badge but that was almost a month ago.

The 36-year-old says that since the Chronicle published his plight, his benefits have stopped because he hasn’t filled in the relevant renewal form.

But he claims he hasn’t received it in the post and has even been down to the Jobcentre to ask for the form in person — but they didn’t know which one it was.

Currently he is having to borrow cash from relatives to buy nappies for his 16-month-old son.

Things have become so dire, he has even had to apply for a crisis loan and called on MP Michael Meacher for help.

Oldham Jobcentre previously promised to pay for the badge as “they felt it would make a real difference to him.”

Duncan (36) said: “I still haven’t received any funding and I’ve also lost out on jobs. The process is just ridiculous. I could have been working since November.

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: “We’re not responsible for the delay, and have paid the company whose job it is to supply the security badge. Mr Brown is aware of the situation.”
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