Lib Dems attack Government reliance on call centres to provide essential services

Research by the party shows that the increasing use of call centres has resulted in the cost being shunted to the user, especially the poorest who have no choice but to call from a mobile phone.

The research says:
> Nearly a quarter of people earning under £11,500 don't have access to a landline, that amounts to over 2 million people

> Call centres for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) are costing mobile phone customers up to £400 million a year

> The cost of an average call to Jobcentre Plus Benefits (40-50 mins) on a mobile can be equal to half a week's Jobseeker's Allowance for someone aged over 25.

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg yesterday met with mobile phone companies, Ofcom and the Citizens Advice Bureau to discuss how the Government could make certain helplines free, regardless of the type of phone used to make the call.

Commenting on the start of the ‘Faceless Britain' campaign, Nick Clegg said:
'More and more services that used to offer face-to-face contact are being replaced by remote and inhuman call centres leaving consumers paying the price.

'We are witnessing the progression of an unaccountable state, creating increasingly remote services divorced from the people they are supposed to serve.

'So-called ‘freephone' or local numbers are a prohibitively expensive option for the millions of callers who are reliant on mobile phones.

'Amid soaring tariffs and restrictive call packages, people who can't afford a landline often find themselves being charged more than a week's Jobseeker's Allowance just to make a claim for the benefits owed to them.

'Forcing people to phone up distant call centres is leaving vulnerable people with an annual mobile phone bill of £400 million. I have met with mobile phone companies and the telecomms regulator as a first step in a campaign to make sure the state remains accountable to its citizens.'

The Liberal Democrats said: "One example where this is particularly damaging is in Government call centres. In recent years, DWP and other Government departments have made significant changes to the way that services are delivered. Many local offices have been closed, with customer contact now being handled over the phone."

"Although 0800 numbers are often advertised as free, this is rarely the case for mobile phones, making it often expensive and inconvenient for those reliant on mobile phones - for instance, low-income families using Pay As You Go mobiles as a necessary budgeting device. Indeed, most mobile phone operators do not make a distinction between 0800 and 0845 numbers, which are not included in any call packages or tariffs."

Liberal Democrat research on Government call centres has revealed:
• It can cost up to £36 just to make a claim for benefits. This is over half a week's Jobseeker's Allowance for someone over 25, and more than a week's Jobseeker's Allowance for a 16-17 year old.

• Department for Work and Pensions contact centres alone are costing callers up to £400 million a year in mobile phone bills.

Nick Clegg yesterday met with mobile phone companies, Ofcom, Citizens Advice Bureau and other interested organisations and individuals to discuss how to overcome the barriers that prevent certain Government ‘lifelines', such as benefits and crisis loan helplines, becoming free at the point of access - regardless of the type of phone used to make contact.

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