Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employee and Eccles resident has been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours List 2023.
Stuart (Stu) Bennett, a long-standing civil servant of nearly 30 years, has been awarded an OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire – for his dedication to public service.
Stu works in DWP’s central Universal Credit Transformation and Delivery team, improving support for vulnerable benefit claimants with complex needs, including helping Ukrainians and Afghans fleeing the war.
Reacting to his award, Stuart said:
“I was in shock, but also very proud for being recognised – especially by my colleagues and being nominated in the first instance.
“I started at DWP nearly 30 years ago in a number of operational roles, including a jobcentre work coach. More recently in my career I’ve been leading a number of projects to improve our service design for vulnerable benefit claimants with complex needs. These include domestic abuse victims, rough sleepers, those experiencing food poverty, care leavers, modern slavery and refugees.
“The emergency responses I’ve worked on recently have been very rewarding and great pieces of work to be involved with, but it most definitely has been a team effort. Seeing these challenges people face and the support they need is what motivates me and my team to be at our best.
“To help develop the best possible service I’ve worked closely with key partners and charities to learn from their knowledge and experiences – charities such as Women’s Aid and Shelter.
“I am especially proud of my work with Women’s Aid in building a great working relationship to improve services for those experiencing and fleeing abuse. Through this relationship I was invited to attend the Women’s Aid National Conference.
“In August 2021 following the crisis in Afghanistan, I worked with other government departments and very closely with the Home Office as part of ‘Operation Warm Welcome’ a cross- government effort to support Afghan arrivals in the UK. The priority was to ensure they were safe and had access to government support in the accommodation they were living in.
“Our Jobcentre colleagues who went to all the locations and supported citizens with their concerns (family still in Afghanistan, child education, financial support, health etc) are the real stars.”
“Since the war in Ukraine myself and the team have been ensuring those fleeing war have access to DWP support and benefits.
“A memorable moment for me was leaving an Afghan Bridging Hotel and high fiving the Afghan children returning from school. It made me feel proud of the work we have all done to ensure those fleeing are safe, and gave me extra motivation to do more.”
