‘Good intentions can be hard to deliver,' said Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury select committee, in response to the announced welfare reforms. She was clearly referencing the stated intentions of Government not being about penalising the most vulnerable, but helping people back into work.

Hillier makes a valid point. Past work programmes have been tainted by limited success. At the same time, councils and other public services are struggling to fill vacancies with an ageing workforce, competition on pay from the private sector and a general lack of knowledge about the variety of roles on offer.