BOLTON volunteers who work with unemployed people have called for a complete overhaul of a benefits system they claim leaves many of society's most vulnerable on the breadline.

Their call comes after two single mothers, both with three young children, faced the prospect of having no money for up to five weeks.

Both were refused crisis loans and were confronted with life without heating, electricity or food . . . until they sought advice from the Unemployed Centre on Wood Street, Bolton.

Elizabeth Saxon of De Lacy Drive, Tonge Moor, had ran out of money, so when her giro cheque did not arrive when it was scheduled to, she asked for a crisis loan, but was refused.

A friend said: "She has three small children, aged five and under, and could not afford heating, electric or food, yet there was no one there to help."

Joanne Matteson of Selkirk Road, was in a similar position. Her giro cheque was a week late, and she too was refused a crisis loan, despite being penniless and with three young children to feed.

Both women turned for help to the Unemployed Centre and "after a struggle," the DSS was persuaded to hand out financial help.

A volunteer who works closely with the benefit system told the BEN: "The problem is that the system automatically assumes people are trying to defraud it.

"It takes five weeks for a giro lost in the post or system to come back. Until that happens, the DSS refuses to accept it as lost. But what are people meant to do in the meantime?

"What are they meant to survive on?

"Until the giro turns up you are on their fraud list.

"These people can easily get caught in the poverty trap. I know of people who have desperately needed to borrow the money to buy a loaf of bread and bag of potatoes for something to eat. Why would anyone fake those conditions?

"Often it is the most vulnerable who are too frightened to do anything and are targeted, and so go without.

"These people are often single parents or people on disability allowance.

"Even the DSS office is in itself an unsympathetic place to be, again particularly for single parents.

"There is no consideration made to the fact that kids have to sit, often hours, waiting for the parent to be dealt with.

"There are no special sections taking people's circumstances into account and no longer any reception area.

"People take a ticket and have to wait while numbers are seemingly randomly called out, with no explanation of how the system works.

"There are only four private rooms and so most of the time everyone can hear what you are saying. There is no dignity and the whole process can be quite humiliating.

"People have to speak loudly through glass panels, which can often place single mothers in vulnerable positions. Anyone can hear them explain their personal situation."

A spokesman for the DSS said he could not comment on individual cases, but addressing the overall comments, he said: "About 40 to 50 giro cheques are reported missing in the Bolton area a month.

"This leaves us with a dilemma as not all claims are genuine and we have to be careful to protect the tax payers' money.

"We are not obliged to replace a giro in full immediately. We do have a system whereby we contact the post office, put out stop notices (although it can often be too late at this point), and then have to wait until the giro itself eventually turns up, as it always does, back in our hands.

"Once we find it, and if it has been cashed, we then check the signature. If the cheque has been lost then we are obliged to make a full payment.

"In the weeks in between, people can apply for a crisis loan, but this depends on the individual's circumstances. It can be very subjective, and we look at, for example, previous giro losses.

"Anyone, particularly parents, can ask for an appointment. It can be pre-booked. People can also ask for a private interview. We feel four private rooms are enough and it is prominently displayed that people can ask to use them.

"The average waiting time is 20 minutes.

"People do not have to call in to the office, they can make a claim through the post, and like anywhere else, we do advise single parents to leave their children whenever possible, with family or friends.

"We used to have a Wendy House with toys in to keep children occupied, but they were vandalised or stolen.

"We do accept it is not easy for people to come into the office and we would never deny it can be daunting. Unless it is urgent, perhaps it is best to make a postal claim or to see whether an appointment can be made.

"We do hold three monthly network meetings, the purpose of which is to gather information or complaints. Problems like these are discussed and we are always prepared to listen."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.