Unemployed 'must do community work for benefits'

David Cameron has today announced plans to make young, out of work adults take on community work in order to retrieve their benefit payments.

The Prime Minister explained that, for those aged between 18 and 21, the Jobseeker's Allowance will be replaced with a six-month Youth Allowance.

After the initial six months has passed the claimant will be unable to claim benefits unless they commit to an apprenticeship, or are willing to take on community work.

The Conservative government would require thirty hours a week of community work and the claimant will also be expected to show they are actively seeking work. The community work could include activities such as delivering meals to the elderly, collecting litter, cleaning graffiti or working for a local charity.

The Prime Minister said that those wanting to receive benefits should be putting something back into their communities at the same time. Mr Cameron said: "There must be a link between what people get and what people give."

In June last year the BBC reported that Labour leader, Ed Milliband, said under a Labour government young, unemployed people could lose their benefits if they refused to undertake a training course.

Today, Mr Cameron also explained that "work must always be rewarded", and they would be ending the concept of people receiving something for nothing and instead recognising hard work.

Speaking to the Telegraph yesterday, the Prime Minister said: "From day one they must realise that welfare is not a one-way street." And later: "What these young people need is work experience and the order and discipline of turning up for work each day. So a Conservative government would require them to do daily community work from the very start of their claim, as well as searching for work."

The ultimate goal behind these new policies will be to "restore fairness" to the country and abolish long-term youth unemployment, removing the "corrosive effect" of the young living on benefits.

The Conservative Government want to produce basic common sense rules that will apply to everyone. They also want to emphasise that "those who can, should" and all those who are out of work and refusing to find work will no longer receive support.

Setting out his party's business policies for this year's general election, Ed Milliband has said that by 2020 a Labour government would be able to guarantee places on apprenticeships for every school leaver in England who "gets the grades", the BBC reported.

Speaking today in front the statement "a Britain that rewards hard work", Mr Cameron said the Conservative's new policy changes would fund a further three million apprenticeships, giving young people more of a chance to develop their skills and later, find full-time employment.

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