A total of 20 Dutch councils are deliberately ignoring rules requiring people on welfare benefits to do some sort of voluntary or other work in return, according to a new social affairs ministry report.

Junior minister Jetta Klijnsma has told MPs the councils are ‘interpreting the law in a different way or are not convinced of the need and benefits’ of requiring claimants to do something in return for their money.

Social affairs ministry inspectors have researched the situation at all 390 Dutch local authorities and found 29 not fully complying with the law. Nine of those have pledged to make improvements, Klijnsma said.

No names

The report did not name any of the councils which are refusing to comply. Amsterdam is likely to be among them, the NRC says in its report.

City alderman Arjan Vliegenthart has said the city is satisfied with the results of its own employment policies and that ‘I have no desire to spend good money on setting up a control system which will not help people find a job’.

Last December union officials warned that local councils are increasingly using people on welfare benefits to replace paid workers.

Street sweepers, gardeners, librarians and home helps are among the jobs under threat, as councils use their powers to force benefit claimants to do ‘voluntary’ work in return for their money, the unions said.