‘Universal Credit Sanctions Back With A Vengence’ – and we know why, don’t we?
The words of Charlotte from The Poor Side of Life speak for themselves:
It was recently announced during a Commons debate in parliament that Universal Credit sanctions (UC) are “back with a vengeance”.
According to the released figures the sanction rates are now 250% higher than they were for the three months before the pandemic.
In layman’s terms it amounts to 2.5% of UC claimants being sanctioned each month which is almost double the amount when compared to 1.4% before the pandemic.
In June 2022 £34 million was taken away from claimants as a result of being sanctioned. This was followed in July 2022 by £34.9 million and then in August taking the total to over £36 million.
This totals … £100 million which has literally been taken from vulnerable claimants that were already struggling to pay for basic necessities.
According to pensions minister Guy Opperman, 98.2 per cent of sanctions are for missing a meeting with a work coach.
Charlotte rightly says this makes no sense, because Universal Credit claimants are generally desperate for their payments; it is a condition of the benefit that it is not paid for at least five weeks after a claim is submitted (a whole calendar month plus seven days).
This means many have to apply for an advance payment – on loan – beforehand, and consequently receive much less than they need to survive, for a long period thereafter.
And then we’re expected to believe that they wilfully miss meetings with the people who control those payments?
It doesn’t ring true, does it?
This Writer has covered a series of cases in which failure to attend meetings was alleged. The claimants themselves said either that they had been given late notice of a meeting, that it was deliberately timed to clash with another appointment (most commonly medical) that they could not miss, or that they simply had not been informed about it at all.
The implication is that the Department for Work and Pensions, which administers Universal Credit, is not to be trusted.
The problem with that is, often claimants either don’t have the financial stability to launch a challenge against an unfair decision, or they simply don’t have the mental or physical energy.
Source: Universal Credit Sanctions Back With A Vengence ‹ The poor side of life ‹ Reader — WordPress.com
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THE NASTY PARTY IN ACTION
Our new Over 50s party seeks volunteer admin to bring the party into existence. Have found a specialist law firm to do the legal work to register the party.
Our Over 50s party in government would end Universal Credit and sanctions, returning to legacy benefits, and back to just signing on every fortnight, with no requirement to seek work, so ending Jobcentres.
www dot over50sparty dot org dot uk
DWP are criminals – or rather the fascist tories who are in charge of this fake government department are the real criminals! July 2022 by £34.9 million was stolen from benefit claimants and the money has gone into the pockets of the fascist tories!
This money is our public money and yet still the greedy callous and cruel fascist tories claim ‘there isn’t any money to pay nurses and other public sector workers a real living salary!’
As regards ‘missed appointments’ oldest trick is the one fascist tories are using ‘sending out appointment letters to benefit claimants when they know the letter will not arrive before appointment. Other common con the fascist tories use to make the appointment clash with a benefit claimaint’s essential medical appointment and yes DWP know about these medical appointments because they have detailed medical and personal history of claimants!
It’s win win for the greedy rotten and corrupt fascist tories and don’t anyone claim they are the ‘government’ because they aren’t they are just a rotten criminal cabal who grabbed economic and political power for their own greedy money obsessed ends!
According to the released figures the sanction rates are now 250% higher than they were for the three months before the pandemic.
In layman’s terms it amounts to 2.5% of UC claimants being sanctioned each month which is almost double the amount when compared to 1.4% before the pandemic.
Sanctions carried out by PCS members at JCP – who expect solidarity from those who’s livelihoods – or, rather, means of survival – they have callously removed for the miserable ‘bounty’ of a £25 M&S voucher.
They complain about the cost of living – but they’re the ones denying people the means to merely exist; thereby doing the tories’ dirty work for them.
They’ll get NO sympathy, nor solidarity from me – until they do their bit to stop benefits sanctions.