NOT for the first time, staff at the Jobcentre have been thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Readers may recall that at the end of April a letter published in the paper claimed that Jobcentre employees displayed an “uncaring attitude” when dealing with out-of-work Teries, and “spoke to them as if it was their own fault” they had lost their jobs.

However, I received no more letters on the subject (and, somewhat worryingly I thought, no denial from the Jobcentre), and came to the conclusion that it was an isolated incident. That was, until this week, when two strongly-worded missives landed on my desk, both of which were unequivocal in their criticism of the Jobcentre’s “bad mannered” staff. Then the phone rang. Another hacked off job seeker, another complaint about the “less than helpful“ staff at the Jobcentre.

It’s not good enough. The Jobcentre must get its house in order. And the staff at the centre of these complaints should be hauled over the coals. Remember, these are the very people job hunters are pinning their hopes on to find them work. Hardly fills you with confidence, does it?