A former NHS worker is being forced to live on cartons of vegetable juice after the cost of living crisis means he can't use his oven.
Errol Livingstone, 57, a former NHS call handler who is living off Universal Credit, has recently had his benefits sanctioned by the Job Centre, ChronicleLive reported.
The former NHS worked has slammed the DWP for taking £88 off his benefits after claiming he was sanctioned for not attending a course about interview techniques.
Errol, who also used to work in recruitment, says he was under the impression that he didn't have to attend due to his experience in recruitment - but was later told he should have been there.
He will now have £11 per day for eight days, a total of £88, deducted from his next monthly payment of £319.84.
Errol said he is already struggling to pay his bills and purchase food on the money which he receives. He said he has, at times, lived on cartons of pure vegetable juice, fresh orange juice and fruit.
He said he also has to take food from his elderly mother and search the supermarket shelves for reduced items.
Errol, who is fighting to get his money restored, said: "Sometimes I feel like giving up. I feel they are always making excuses to take the money away from me.
"I have lost trust with them. I have worked in recruitment. I could probably do their job!
"I don't think the Government has got an understanding of what it's all about and what it's like to survive.
"They haven't got a clue what people have to go through if they lose a job or they are made redundant.
"They're not helping people at all, they are making it worse all the time. I don't think they understand the extent of how people are living. I live on very little when it comes to food."
Errol said that, although he lives alone and owns his own property, he is already struggling to pay for all of his bills, which include his water, phone and his building insurance.
He said he is trying to cut the costs of his gas and electricity by not using everyday items in his house, such as his oven.
He said: "I've turned the radiators off in the other rooms I don't use. It's not healthy to have a house with the heating off all the time, it's going to get damp in time.
"You have to go into a bedroom which is freezing cold and your nose is blue.
"I have an oven but I could never put anything in the oven that takes too long to cook, it would be uneconomical.
"I'm cautious of boiling the kettle as I know that would cost. I try not to use the microwave very often either.
"I own my property but I know if I was renting it would be really, really frightening because it's so easy to end up on the street. Once you fall behind in your rent it's very, very hard to get back on top of it again."
He said: "I don't want to keep taking off my mother's pension, I don't want to burden her. When I have a little bit of money I have a look in the Tesco near me. They have a food counter and I buy a chicken which is already cooked. You can only keep it for a few days but in the long term it's better than cooking one from scratch.
Errol said he has a number of qualifications including a degree in fine art and art history and a BTEC in Business Studies. He said over the years he has worked in customer service, publishing and graphic design.
He said that during the Covid-19 pandemic he was employed as a call handler for the NHS, which caused him a lot of stress.
This has now exacerbated since he started claiming Universal Credit around four months ago. He said that despite this he completes his work diary everyday, attends interviews and turns up to meetings with his advisor.
Errol added: "When I worked for the NHS I was helping people and it was very, very difficult because people were dying. I spent two-and-a-half years doing that and I was taking over 100 calls a day. Because of all the stress I burnt out and I had to go to see my doctor.
"I feel signing on to Universal Credit is the most stressful thing I have ever taken on and I feel this Government is to blame.
"I feel the whole situation now is depressing - it's diabolical and it's managed poorly. The people at the top are not helping. It's like they have forgotten the people who are really vulnerable. They look at you as if you are not worthy. They treat you like a child.
"You're pushed from pillar to post with different people and sometimes you don't feel they're understanding. It's in their favour to be sympathetic with these people and stop punishing them all the time. It's just really unjust.
"Your desperation causes more stress and anxiety and it starts to affect the way you do everyday things. It gives you less incentive to participate with the rest of the community. I feel useless, I don't feel they are helping me at all. I feel they are making me worse."
A spokesman from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) said: "People are only sanctioned if they fail, without good reason, to meet the conditions they agreed to, and Mr Livingstone failed to participate in his agreed Restart programme.
"Throughout his Universal Credit claim, Mr Livingstone has been offered support tailored to his individual circumstances, via our dedicated work coaches, who are helping him get back into work."
Errol disputes the DWP's claims that he didn't participate in the Restart programme. He said he has participated in the programme but did not attend one of the star technique sessions.
