National Assistance Board

Posted March 28, 2011 by fred in Uncategorized. Tagged: NAB Brighton National assistance board. Leave a Comment

Promotion and transfer to the NAB

Little did I know what I had let myself into! Things Agriculture, things farming are very unlike things people and all their concerns. Spending a week with a new colleague learning the ropes simply was not enough. I am in lodgings during the week and I have two great manuals to digest.

What was not apparent to me at the time was that the colleagues patch was a nice village one and I was to take over area adjacent to Brighton with lots of one room flats etc.

I append a report written at the end of the National assistance Board:

https://fredhughes4.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=445&action=edit&message=6

It was a particularly bad time in my life. I had built a  house in Oxford in which we were very comfortable and it suited all our needs. However I was anxious for promotion and, as was quite normal in the civil service, I had to move. Eileen my wife had always lived in Oxford, and her Mother lived there, it therefore took a long time to find a house in Brighton which suited her.

I, in the meanwhile, was travelling down to Brighton early on the Monday morning, spending the next five days working and sleeping in bed and breakfast. Then on Friday evening back in Oxford.

Those five working days were split between office days and visiting days.  Visiting days were days when I would visit applicants,

During my day visiting I would meet those who deserved my sympathy, particularly the retired or ill and those who were unemployed and making little effort to work. In determining whether to give assistance or how much often needed the discretion that was part of my job.

I quote:

“This aspect of the national assistance for its work is difficult to assess there seems little doubt that the boards of visitors provided a lifeline too many people who would otherwise have been entirely missed by the other social services.”

I began my assessment by reference to the number of people in the household; allowance was made for each person by reference to age. Food , household services and clothing, plus the rent.  Income from pensions or benefits would usually cover the first items, leaving the rent for which I would make an allowance.  Some cases were straightforward. Others were not. This is the point where I used my discretion.  The rent it may be high and beyond what we consider the reasonable one.  Only in very special circumstances would I allow more.  If there were a large number of children the assessment would exceed the amount of earnings that the applicant was likely to earn.  In which case I would consider whether to  reduce the payment.

I was unfortunately allocated to a district close to the Brighton border which was made up of very large houses let into small flats; large numbers of which were owned by one landlord who’s rents were excessive and he tried to get them out in order to be able to sell them for greater profit.  My colleagues in more rural districts would have no need to apply discretion.

After a few years I was given a job to the charge of the office callers who often pleaded for immediate help.  No one having visited where they lived. It was necessary to apply judgment before making any payment. Another reason for discretion. I had four staff who initially interviewed and a cashier.  There were often arguments and sometimes it was necessary for me to call for the police.