WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones is supporting the Rail Delivery Group’s initiative, on behalf of Britain’s train companies, to raise awareness about a travel discount card that helps lower the cost of finding work.
The Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card is available to eligible people who have been out of work for longer than 12 weeks. It offers jobseekers a 50% discount on train fares as they travel to interviews, to the Jobcentre or to and from training, for up to three months at a time.
Nationally, between March 2017 and March 2018, 518,822 discounted journeys were made by jobseekers, with 87 jobseekers having taken advantage of the discount card’s benefits in Warrington North.
MP Jones said: “It is great to see the train companies and Jobcentre Plus working together to give jobseekers a helping hand. The cost of travel can sometimes be a barrier to getting to interviews and training; however it is initiatives like these that are making the difference in getting people into work. I will continue to support the Rail delivery Group in raising awareness for this scheme.’’
The Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, Paul Plummer, which brings together train companies and Network Rail to enable a better railway said:
“Getting more people into work is part of our long-term plan to change and improve. The partnership railway is committed to spreading economic prosperity across the country. Over half a million discounted journeys were made in the last year but we want to make sure that everyone who is eligible to discounted journeys, in all parts of the country, know about the discounts available.’’
2 Comments
A great initiative and credit to Helen for raising awareness. Even better why not go one step further and see Helen highlighting this in person at the job centre in town, directly with people who would benefit from it? After all, not everyone has access to the internet and it would even provide Helen with some valuable kudos. Far be it from me to give credit to a Tory but former Warrington South MP Mowatt conducted a regular jobs fair for unemployed people in his constituency at the time. Helen could gain some credit in the bank with something similar.
Helen does not wish to press the flesh of the great unwashed.