Britain's laziest woman [on dole for 16 YEARS, pocketed £30,000 in benefits!]

The Sun ^ | February 21, 2004 | The Sun

[ejdrapes]

Britain's laziest woman

Super-sponger ... Susan

By ALASTAIR TAYLOR

THE laziest woman in Britain is exposed by The Sun today.

Bone idle Susan Moore has finally had her benefits stopped after an astonishing 16 YEARS on the dole.

Super-sponger Susan, 34, has not done a day’s work since dropping out of college in 1988.

But amazingly, she insists she isn’t lazy — and is appealing against the decision to stop her claiming £65-a-week Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Susan, who says she needs to RELAX at weekends, has never even been for a job interview — and turned down work at a supermarket because it was five miles away.

But yesterday she said: “I don’t see why I shouldn’t get Jobseeker’s Allowance. I’m not a scrounger, I want to work but nothing suitable’s come up.”

Her local Jobcentre currently has 260 vacancies on its books, and the local paper is packed with 230 job ads. But skiver Susan reckons none are right for her.

Since abandoning college she has pocketed £30,000 in benefits. But the handouts were finally stopped when she quit a New Deal course designed to help her find a job.

Dependent ... Susan now lives on mum Jennifer's benefit

To ensure waster Susan would attend the course — held 20 miles away — Jobcentre staff paid for a taxi to take her to the train station each morning, and also paid her rail fare.

But when the taxi didn’t turn up one day, she simply packed the course in.

Susan, of Burythorpe, North Yorks, moaned: “I find it hard to travel. I can’t drive, there are no buses to speak of and taxis are expensive.

“I’d like to work in the village where I live, but we have no post office or shop and I have asked at the pub but there is nothing there.

Shop a sponger

THE Sun wants your help to track down Britain’s worst scroungers. If you know a waster like Susan, give our SHOP A SPONGER HOTLINE a call between 9am and 6pm today on: 020 7782 4105 (London) or 0161 935 5316 (Manchester).

“Some people brand me lazy and a scrounger, but I am not. I just haven’t been given a chance.”

Yesterday we offered Susan the opportunity to make a few quid over the weekend by manning a “Shop a Sponger” phone line we have set up.

But she immediately turned us down, without even asking how much we were paying.

She said: “I don’t fancy travelling to London. I shop on a Saturday, and on Sunday I sit at home and relax a bit.”

Susan lives with divorced mum Jennifer, 58.

The pair are surviving on the £51-a-week Jobseeker’s Allowance paid to Jennifer, who stopped working in 1969 when Susan was born. They also receive housing benefit worth around £45 a week.

Susan, who spends much of her day listening to CDs and watching videos, said: “It’s awful trying to survive now. We only have one wage — my mum’s benefit. The Jobcentre won’t let us have a thing. It’s disgusting.”

Susan left school at 16 with GCSEs in art and drama and spent two years at college.

She has attended regular appointments at Ryedale Jobcentre — with officials paying her £12 taxi fare — but insists she has never been offered a suitable position.

Home ... Susan's semi

Businesses seeking staff in Susan’s area yesterday included a Little Chef, a cleaning firm and a residential home — but none seem good enough for her.

Susan’s appeal to get her Jobseeker’s Allowance back will be heard next month.

And, astonishingly, she and her mum are also trying to claim Income Support on medical grounds, saying Susan suffers “monthly painful spells” and Jennifer has swollen legs.

The Department for Work and Pensions refused to comment on Susan, but said: “Failure to take New Deal courses can result in benefit loss.”

[sweetliberty]

"People like her should be shamed publicly."

How are you going to shame somebody who has been enabled by a society to believe that it isn't her fault? Before one can be ashamed, one has to accept responsibility.

[kittymyrib]

The Bible is right again: "If any would not work, neither should he eat." 2 Thes. 3:10 Christians should not enable laziness.
This story, along with the post about the British teen sisters who are collecting 31,000L a year raising bastards, at least gives one the hope that someone is noticing the errors of pernicious solialism.

[Nowhere Man]

Dang, she looks a little like Rosie O'Donnell. I have nothing against a welfare safety net, but dang, there should be lots of string attached where it encourages responsibility and accountibilty. She should be made to go clean the streets, parks, and whatnot. This is uncalled for. This is a vicious cycle where both the system and the person becoming irresponsible and encourage irresponsibility, it's like the snake eating it's own tail.

[Luna]

LOL!! You are so right!

[hosepipe]

Nice pic.. SO, thats what she'll look like in a few years..
At least a bulldog has character..

[vollmond]

If only we got off that cheap over a 16 year period.

[Aquinasfan]

At 58, she's been on the dole since 1969. That's 35 years. So the mother quit working at age 23.

When "charity" isn't charity at all. In Marvin Olasky's book, "The Tragedy of American Compassion," he describes how in the nineteenth century, anyone seeking a handout from a church-run charity had to either chop wood (for the men) or sew (for the women), taking their cue from St. Paul's admonition: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

[k2blader]

That's all, over 16 years? I'm sure there are Americans who are worse.

[k2blader]

Everyone should read that book.

[Luna]

Those Brits do love their dole and their telly.

LOL. That comment made me think of Onslo from Keeping Up Appearances.

[stylecouncilor]

ping

[maaike]

Over here in The Netherlands.. Your dole is held back after a year of unemployement.. And even if you're getting it, it's extremely low...

*wish I lived over there*

[Fresh Wind]

I’d like to work in the village where I live, but we have no post office or shop and I have asked at the pub but there is nothing there.

I'll bet she asks at the pub quite often.