Council fines jobseeker £75 for advertising himself for work

After a year unsuccessfully trying to land a job, 20-year-old Daniel Bird decided to do the rounds of his home city in Hull, posting 200 appeals for work.

Although his quest for work ended a week later with him taken on by a local business, Hull Council issued him with a £75 fine and threatened the youngster with court action if he didn’t pay up.

Daniel said: “I was really shocked, angry and upset at getting punished for looking for a job.

“Everybody else was proud of me for doing this and looking for a job.

“I’d been looking for a job for a year, sometimes I’d have interviews and after that nowt, and sometimes letters saying sorry.

“In the end I was looking for cleaning, bar work, retail but in the end I was prepared to do any job whatsoever. I was just feeling down, depressed and coming home crying sometimes.”

His new employer Mecca Bingo, on Anlaby Road, in the city, has now stepped in to pay the fine.

Daniel said: “I’d like to thnak the manager for giving me the chance of work - and paying off the fine for me.”

General manager Steve Jones said: “I was walking down the street to work and I saw four or five of Daniel’s posters.

“We just had an opening coming up and I thought this guy is showing a bit of initative especially in the current climate.

“I took down one of the posters and offered him an interview. He came across really well and ticked all the boxes.”

Mr Jones said he hoped to offer Daniel full time work in the future.

He added: “I don’t necessarily agree with what the council has done, Daniel was being entrepeneurial and pro-active.”

Hull Council, however, defended its actions under the Antisocial Behviour Act, the Criminal Damage Act and the Highways Act.

Mark Charlton, assistant head of service for community safety said: “The council has an obligation to act to prevent unauthorised fly posting at a number of locations on more than one occasion.

“We are satisfied the issuing of a fixed penalty notice in this case is a measured and appropriate response after requesting for Mr Bid to desist fly posting at a number of locations on more than one occasion.”