A COLCHESTER debt adviser has admitted the benefits system means some people are better off not getting a job.

Vivienne Wiggins works on the Greenstead Estate, helping council tenants on behalf of Colchester Borough Homes.

She told community meeting on Monday it was sometimes difficult to advise clients to take a job and come off state benefits because sometimes they would not be financially better off.

She said: “I find myself advising people to check very carefully whether taking that job is going to be better for them and their family.

“If you are only going to be £10 better off when you are working, you are better off on benefits.

“A lot of the people I see have got into debt because they have gone back into work after being on benefits and have taken on responsibility for their rent and council tax.

“I have to think about what is better for them and their families, and sometimes that appears to be staying on benefits.”

In some cases, she said, if families came off benefits, they found they had nothing left for children’s treats or school shoes and ended up taking out expensive loans. She added: “Debt is a very complicated issue these days and once you start getting into it, it can spiral out of control very quickly.”

Her words prompted alarm from Labour’s prospective Parliamentary candidate for Colchester, Jordan Newell.

He said: “Benefits should never be a solution to anyone’s problems.

“They are there as a safety net for people caught in difficult circumstances.”

He added: “I find it quite worrying in some cases, people are worse off going out to work.

“I would encourage those people to consider the long-term prospects of taking that job, compared with the long-term prospects of staying on benefits.”

However Colchester’s Lib Dem MP, Bob Russell, agreed with Ms Wiggins in some cases, people were better off on benefits. He said: “In the present climate, there are unscrupulous employers who are levelling down wages rather than increasing them and some major retailers are employing rafts of part-time workers rather than fewer full-time workers. Some people have to balance the desire to contribute to the public purse by working and paying tax, when it could, in some cases, mean their families are worse off.”

He added: “The Government and political parties need to create a climate where going back to work is financially worthwhile.

“The first £10,000 of income should be income tax-free.”

Andy Flexen-Pallot, community projects manager at Colchester Jobcentre Plus, said it was better for people’s self-esteem and confidence to work.

He said: “I have seen people who have not been working and how it effects their self-esteem, confidence and pride.

“When people are working, all those things improve and it is much better for them, socially.”

MOTHER-of-four Karen Allen, 43, of Crown Bays Road, Colchester, went back to work when her youngest was six.

Working part-time as a mid-day assistant at Hazelmere Junior School earns her £20 a week more than she would get on full state benefits.

She said: “I’m lucky I’m able to work just a few hours a week. If I had a nine to five job, Monday to Friday, I would be considerably worse off because of the cost of childcare. I decided it was better for me to go back to work because of the social interaction. It’s also nice to give something back to the community, though each person is different and I think it’s very hard for people to go out to work, especially if they don’t have a good support network.”

She added: “Earning £80 a month is better than nothing and it goes straight into a savings account to help pay for family holidays.”