[MargaretR]

I worked for 35 years at Dhss (now Work and Pensions).

I enjoyed giving away taxpayers money, and bent (not broke) the rules sometimes to help people.
Not all my colleagues felt the same. Some really enjoyed refusing payments which I thought was rather sadistic.

I recall my time paying out 'lump sums' for bedding and furniture etc. -most enjoyable - I made an effort every day to pay out more than the day before.

Before you taxpayers grumble about 'paying out to scroungers', I remind you that the payments were legal, scrutinised, and audited, and I was commended for my competance at applying those rules. The payments did put money into the local economy.

There came the day when 'Single Payments' were to be replaced by the Social Fund.
I could see that people were to be deprived of the basic neccessities of a civilised existence.
I was earmarked to administer this new fund and rebelled against the concept by applying for a transfer to The Public Records Office at Nelson Archives.

I was shortlisted but didn't get the job, but it was enough for the manager to understand that I would not get any job satisfaction administering Social Fund, so my career took a totally different turn into building maintenance and refurbishment, where I gained great job satisfaction by improving the working environment for my colleagues.

So I did make an effort to avoid being part of a system (Social Fund) which I thought was morally flawed. I was fortunate that my employer understood my feelings about it and provided me with alternative work.