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New success for MP's crisis loan campaign

August 24 2009

MP for Weston-super-Mare John Penrose is delighted by a Government announcement that Jobcentre Plus is hiring another 200 staff to arrange Crisis Loans for victims of the recession.

Crisis Loans provide urgent help to people suffering from an emergency or disaster, who have nowhere else to turn. But earlier this year, many local people who had been trying to contact Weston's Crisis Loan centre had told the MP that their calls either weren't answered, or that they were disconnected, or that they were told all operators were busy.

As a result, Mr Penrose wrote to Government Ministers to urge them to address this staff shortage crisis. Eventually, the Government was persuaded to increase the number of staff from 750 to 1,800 people, to cope with the steep rise in crisis loan applications. The latest increase, included in a letter to Mr Penrose from the national head of JobCentre Plus, increases it still further, to 2,000.

Mr Penrose said: "Obviously we'd all prefer it if no-one needed a crisis loan at all. But if the numbers are going to rise anyway because of the recession, the least we can do is to make sure there's an efficient service for people in desperate need who have nowhere else to turn.

"Until recently, some of the most vulnerable people in Weston weren't able to access the Crisis Loan service. That's why I wrote to Government Ministers pushing them to get moving and improve things quickly.

"To be fair, they increased staffing by over a thousand fairly swiftly, and now they've announced another 200. Anyone wishing to apply for a Crisis Loan should have a far better chance of getting through to someone who can help, and of getting a decision on their loan there and then."