Friday. Another incredibly bright and sunny morning.
We weren't sure what benefits we can claim since Carol has been off work. Her pay was cut in half some while ago and it stops completely in early July. Obviously she can't claim J.S.A (Job Seekers' Allowance) because you have to be available for work to claim that. We've been on the Gov.org.uk site and it's unclear if she can claim Universal Credit. We were told we'd have to go to the local Job Centre to make a claim for whatever it is called. I rang a helpline but didn't get much further so the alternative was to visit our local Job Centre in Midsummer Boulevard in Milton Keynes. We went to our bank, the NatWest branch near the Council offices (I actually think it's underneath the offices, so it can't possibly be nearer.) so that I could get change for the parking meter we'll need when we park. The things you have to organise, just to park your car. I seem to remember at one time that the main shopping centre in MK used to have free parking. It's no wonder that so many shops are struggling to survive, House of Fraser for one having announced that it's Milton Keynes store will close. Just putting off shoppers by charging for parking.) We drove round to find a space nearer to the Job Centre. Fortunately there were plenty of spaces. But it seems a bit steep to have to pay £2 an hour to park. The Council must be making a fortunate out of parking.
We went into the Christ The Cornerstone church. We haven't been in there in a while. I think we used to take Sam to give blood there at one point. We went into the café. It was completely empty. No staff in evidence. A good selection of cakes on display. We could have easily taken several large slices and walked out without anyone noticing. A young girl, obviously not a senior member of staff, appeared. We asked for two lattes. We had taken a slice of cake. She called for another member of staff, who very reluctantly appeared. The lattes were produced and we paid at the till. Not an over-enthusiastic couple of staff-members. We sat at a table near the window to enjoy our drinks. More froth than coffee. Not the best I've experienced by a long chalk. We could as easily crossed the road and gone into Marks and Spencer's café, although it might have been more expensive. This place is in need of a re-vamp. It seems stuck in a time-warp, probably the mid 1970's or thereabouts. Never mind. We have had better service in the past. As it was, it was not going to attract many customers although it is supposed to get busy at lunchtime with office workers using it for their lunch-break. I think it was the lack of enthusiasm of the staff which was the worst aspect of the whole experience.
Having had our refreshment break, such as it was, we walked round to the Job Centre. Not a particularly enthusiastic place either. It wasn't exactly clear where you were supposed to go or to whom you were supposed to talk to. Not much to attract you to look for a job. No jobs posted on boards or even on computer screens. Perhaps there were these facilities, but we weren't looking for a job for either of us at that particular time. We spoke to a female member of staff, who was helpful enough and told us that Carol needed to apply for E.S.A. (Employment and Support Allowance.). She gave her a list of numbers, including one to ring to apply as you have to do this by telephone. It's annoying that we didn't know this when we went on-line earlier. So we returned home with this new information and I rang the telephone number and we spent about an hour doing the claim. The lady who we dealt with was very helpful and professional. The Job Centre isn't exactly brimming with interesting jobs. There seems a lot of unused space. Infact, with it's beautifully clean floor, it could be rented out as a dance studio. They could rent it out for office space. A lot of it wasted. Similarly in the entrance of the Council offices we visited on Thursday morning. Beautifully carpeted and acres of space. They used to have cubicles all around the walls where staff sat to take peoples payments for such things as Council Tax and rent, as well as where you'd go if you were applying for any sort of benefit. Now they have these brightly coloured booths where staff sit. it's been revamped and is far more pleasant. At one time when I had to sign on for J.S.A. and whatever when I lived in Bedford, a lot of the applications were done speaking through a grill in a glass panel with the staff member sitting behind the glass and it was quite intimidating.
We went into the Christ The Cornerstone church. We haven't been in there in a while. I think we used to take Sam to give blood there at one point. We went into the café. It was completely empty. No staff in evidence. A good selection of cakes on display. We could have easily taken several large slices and walked out without anyone noticing. A young girl, obviously not a senior member of staff, appeared. We asked for two lattes. We had taken a slice of cake. She called for another member of staff, who very reluctantly appeared. The lattes were produced and we paid at the till. Not an over-enthusiastic couple of staff-members. We sat at a table near the window to enjoy our drinks. More froth than coffee. Not the best I've experienced by a long chalk. We could as easily crossed the road and gone into Marks and Spencer's café, although it might have been more expensive. This place is in need of a re-vamp. It seems stuck in a time-warp, probably the mid 1970's or thereabouts. Never mind. We have had better service in the past. As it was, it was not going to attract many customers although it is supposed to get busy at lunchtime with office workers using it for their lunch-break. I think it was the lack of enthusiasm of the staff which was the worst aspect of the whole experience.
Having had our refreshment break, such as it was, we walked round to the Job Centre. Not a particularly enthusiastic place either. It wasn't exactly clear where you were supposed to go or to whom you were supposed to talk to. Not much to attract you to look for a job. No jobs posted on boards or even on computer screens. Perhaps there were these facilities, but we weren't looking for a job for either of us at that particular time. We spoke to a female member of staff, who was helpful enough and told us that Carol needed to apply for E.S.A. (Employment and Support Allowance.). She gave her a list of numbers, including one to ring to apply as you have to do this by telephone. It's annoying that we didn't know this when we went on-line earlier. So we returned home with this new information and I rang the telephone number and we spent about an hour doing the claim. The lady who we dealt with was very helpful and professional. The Job Centre isn't exactly brimming with interesting jobs. There seems a lot of unused space. Infact, with it's beautifully clean floor, it could be rented out as a dance studio. They could rent it out for office space. A lot of it wasted. Similarly in the entrance of the Council offices we visited on Thursday morning. Beautifully carpeted and acres of space. They used to have cubicles all around the walls where staff sat to take peoples payments for such things as Council Tax and rent, as well as where you'd go if you were applying for any sort of benefit. Now they have these brightly coloured booths where staff sit. it's been revamped and is far more pleasant. At one time when I had to sign on for J.S.A. and whatever when I lived in Bedford, a lot of the applications were done speaking through a grill in a glass panel with the staff member sitting behind the glass and it was quite intimidating.
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