'Punished for doing God's work'

Jobless Paul Prince may have to quit after social security bosses cut his job seeker's allowance from £51 to £16 a week.

The decision was immediately branded 'crazy', and the pub's landlord said Mr Prince was being punished 'for doing God's work'.

Committed Christian Mr Prince, 43, of St Paul's Road, Manningham, Bradford, is now being forced to live on only £16-a-week after he told Benefit Agency bosses that he voluntarily worked at the Cock and Bottle.

The historic pub in Barkerend Road, Bradford, which re-opened in a blaze of publicity last June, is staffed entirely by volunteer worshippers from Bradford's Christian community and is run on a non-profits basis.

But Mr Prince has fallen foul of social security laws which say that he cannot work in a commercial enterprise.

Today the Benefit Agency's ruling was branded as crazy by other volunteers at the pub.

Pub landlord Malcolm Willis, said: "Paul's being victimised for doing God's work.

"He's paying the price because he's levelled with them and told them what he does here. They are saying that he's doing someone out of a paid job but he's not. Nobody gets a farthing for working here - they are doing it for God."

The Rev Robin Gamble, a key member of the Christian Pub Consortium which runs the pub, said: "I feel that they have not quite understood Paul's role here. He's a volunteer - he doesn't get paid anything.

"We're not criticising the people at the Bradford benefit office, we realise the pressure they are under and I know we're in a unique situation.

"We don't exist to sell beer or make money but to help people. We run this place purely on a voluntary basis.

"I do feel that Paul has done everything right. He wants to get a job and he wants to help the important community work here. It's crazy how he's been treated.

"He will have to give up working here to go back on benefits. He has no option - he can't live on £16 a week. It just seems a shame that this way everybody loses."

Mr Prince, a former London Royal Parks gardener who was made redundant in 1992, is appealing to the Benefits Agency to review its decision to cut his job seekers allowance from £51 to £16 a week.

He said: "It's a ridiculous situation. I took up bar work at the pub on a voluntary basis so that I would get some experience and my chances of getting a job would become a reality.

"I only told them at the benefits office to be honest about what I was doing and to show them that I was doing my best to improve my situation.

"But I'm being penalised for trying to improve myself and get a job. I'm worse off now.

"Working at the pub has given me the opportunity to be part of the pioneering work that it does in the community as well as giving me experience and credibility for employers.

"Luckily I've been given a lot of support from friends, but I can't go on much longer like this. I'll have to give up working here and go back on benefits. No one can live on £16 a week."

A spokesman for the Benefits Agency, said: "I cannot discuss Mr Prince's case specifically but I can say that voluntary work does not normally effect people's benefit.

"Our decision makers, however, have to decide whether a customer's employment can truly be defined as "voluntary" under social security law.

"If a person works for an organisation which charges full prices for goods or services in the same way that other commercial enterprises this may not be the case.

"Anyone who disagrees with one of our decisions can contact us for a explanation and if they are still unhappy take their case to the independent appeals service."

Marsha Singh, Labour MP for Bradford West, said: "I'm surprised about what's happened and I'll try to help him if I can. I would be happy to intervene on his behalf to try to have his benefits reinstated."

Councillor Robert Sowman (Lab, Undercliffe) said: "It's a shame that a man trying to help himself has been given such short shrift. The rules are the rules but this is obviously a case that needs more imaginative handling."

Retired Arthur Lockwood, 71, of Barkerend, a volunteer cleaner at the pub, said: "It's an absolutely potty situation and a ridiculous rule. I'm sure they wouldn't have taken his benefits if he was doing a couple of hours a week at a charity shop. He's helped a lot of people come through the doors asking for help."

And Mike Presto, 18, a sales assistant, of Undercliffe, said: "It's a disgraceful situation. I don't know how they can to this to him especially with this being a Christian pub. Paul does a lot of important work and supports the Christian community here. He's put in all this time and effort to come and work here for nothing and now they're penalising him for it."

Mr Prince said that he had applied for hundreds of jobs since 1992 but had struggled to even get an interview.

He said: "I can count the number of interviews I've had on two hands. "It's the people who have got jobs already who tend to get the jobs on offer. I thinks it's because employers prefer people who are in work to anyone who has had a break.

"I would ideally like to be a postman but I would do anything really. I'm prepared to go street cleaning for Bradford Council or anything like that, I'd would quite enjoy being out and about."

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