Short stories

On location - Burleigh Pottery, as featured in my 'Too Write' entry.

At the end of last month, I finally put the finishing touches to my short story entry for the forthcoming Stoke-on-Trent Literary Festival.  That's the one with The Sun among the sponsors, as if self-publishing ebooks via Amazon wasn't enough of an ethical dilemma for a leftie feminist writer of claimant-friendly counter propaganda...

Being in the habit of giving away my literary efforts (at least the ebooks - on the basis that if Amazon don't pay tax and don't pay a living wage to their staff, we shouldn't pay them either), I was tempted to post the short story on here now, but I'm not sure whether that would break 'the rules' for the competition.  I will post it, in full afterwards, come what may.  I have already warned my friends that it contains no politics, no benefits, and none of 'that sort of thing'.  But it does contain a character you may have met before.

With my short story safely filed, I planned to get back to work on my long stories, but in the event spent last week composing even shorter ones, as part of our on-going benefits take-up campaign.  Using a fairly rough-and-ready calculation, we've worked out that if there are (as the DWP and HMRC estimate) £16 billion in unclaimed benefits and tax credits left sitting in the Treasury's coffers every year, about £50 million of that is owed to people in Stoke-on-Trent.  And if, as Age UK estimate, every year £5 billion in benefits for older people isn't claimed, about a third of what's owed to Stokies is due to local pensioners.

So yesterday was spent at a stand in the Potteries Shopping Centre, offering people little leaflets with these headline figures about 'Stoke-on-Trent's Missing Millions' on one side, and a 'short story' on the other.  About Jean and John, a pensioner couple entitled to full Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support - but only if Jean claimed a benefit that couldn't actually be paid to her.  About Lucy, another pensioner, who qualified for Guarantee Credit and other goodies only after her income went up.  And Mark, who got 100% rebate on his Council Tax when his Employment and Support Allowance increased, but paid 30% when he was poorer.  There are some parts of the Social Security system that could have been created by the Brothers Grimm - and some that are just grim. 

There were also tales with happy endings for a young family with a disabled child, a guy returning to work after illness and a pair of potentially star-crossed lovers who didn't think they could afford to live together (but could, thanks to Tax Credits).  Hopefully some of the leaflets will find their way to people who'll say 'that's a bit like our story', and claim what they're due.

But it's not all happy news.  Our local council are re-running a campaign against fraud, and while it's supposedly against fraud generally, it's only the benefit fraud and Blue Badge abuse cases that seem to make the papers.  The campaign posters ask 'Know a Cheat on your Street?', encouraging neighbours to report each other and are adorned with a photo of a cheetah.  No doubt a few folk up to no good will be turned in, but it's completely the opposite message to the one me and my colleagues are trying to promote, and will put the very people off claiming that we are trying to reach.

And I can't help wondering how many real life Lyns and Terrys will go through the misery of being under suspicion with vital payments suspended and Court action threatened, Severe Discomfort style, and all because someone in their street thinks they're a cheat.