Close to Home – iceandfire’s new documentary play
iceandfire are making a new documentary theatre play which examines the impact of the government spending cuts on public services, income and social support.
We are looking for personal stories about how the public sector cuts are affecting people’s lives. How will these cuts affect some of the most marginalised and vulnerable communities? How will the cuts alter the lives of working people? How will our communities change under the planned cuts yet to be rolled out? How do we prevent more people from falling into the poverty trap?
If you would like to share your story with us, or know of someone who would, then you can contact us in the strictest confidence. No names or details are revealed without permission.
People that we are looking to intervew might come from one of these groups:
- Public sector workers who have lost their jobs, faced a change in pension terms or been forced to accept new working conditions
- Working families paying more for child-care or those loosing Home Start or Sure Start Services
- Those affected by the loss of community centres, drop-in facilities or services for the elderly – including cuts to public transport
- Disabled people respite care or support payments for care assistance or equipment
- Mental Health service users who have experienced cuts to support services or who are being moved to JSA
- Housing benefits claimants at risk from the proposed payment cap
- Students who have lost the EMA, or those dissuaded from Higher Education because of fee payments
- Students who require specialist teaching in mainstream schools
- Those impacted by cuts in Legal Aid
- Refugees and Asylum Seekers who have lost advisory or advocacy services
- Those using or working in advice centres – e.g. debt counselling, Citizens Advice Bureau
- Charities and voluntary groups who have had to downsize or merge
Interviewees are offered £45 expenses in cash in return for their time.
To participate or get any further information on this project, please contact:
Annecy Hayes || annecy@iceandfire.co.uk || 07980 775347
Being made redundant from my last three positions, I have struggled this last time to find work, as a result of this I have been on job seekers and housing benefit for a couple of years now. Don’t get the wrong impression, I worked and paid into the system constantly for twenty six years and am the only member of my family to be on benefits. I rent the property I live in and have done for the past 9 years since breaking up with my wife. Jobseekers allowance is £65.45 per week, my rent is £400 per month. I live in a three hundred year old weavers cottage up on the moors above Ripponden, heated by nothing but coal, and it gets bloody cold, so coal is a nesessity. My electricity supplier is N Power, I pay them through a system called Fuel Direct, coming out of my benefit before I see it, they take…. wait for it, £24.90 per week, leaving me £40.55 per week, housing benefit comes to £385 per month, that is another £6.25 per week to make up my rent, leaving me a grand sum of £34.30 per week to exist on. My two cats are eighteen years old and my babies, impossible to rehome, hense a visit to the PDSA to have them put to sleep next week, I simply cannot afford to feed myself let alone Frankie n Madge. One lives in hope, let 2012 be a better year than the past two. Thanks for allowing me to get that off my chest. p.s. I think the work you do is really, really worthwhile.