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Benefit sanctions cause hardship, moving jobseekers away from the job market

18 Mehefin 2013

Responding to a Public Accounts Committee report on change in jobcentres, Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of National Charity Citizens Advice, said:

"Evidence from Government that increasing minimum sanctions from one to four weeks encourages people back in to work is patchy at best. There is no evidence to show what is gained from stopping people’s benefits for a month. What is clear is the hardship it causes. Southwark CAB in London is one of many Bureaux reporting that sanctions are helping to fuel a rise in demand for food banks – last April a local provider gave out 130 boxes, this April it was 500.

"Too many jobseekers have their benefit stopped because they don't understand what is required of them. The new Claimant Commitment, currently being trialled, will reduce this by being explicit about what claimants have to do and the consequences of not adhering to benefit rules such as mandatory job search activities. This should help stave off the threat of people facing hunger and hardship with help to support their return to work. Clear information will become even more critical when Universal Credit is introduced in the Autumn and benefit reforms really bite later in the year.

"Wrongly applied sanctions move jobseekers further away from the job market, undermining Government efforts to increase growth in the UK’s ailing economy by getting more people off benefit and into work."

Within the 40,000 Jobseekers allowance problems Bureaux saw a 40% rise in advice about sanctions and hardship payments (3,000 problems) compared to the same period a year ago.

In the Autumn of 2012 a new harsher sanctions regime introduced by the Welfare Reform Act was implemented by government. The new regime set out fixed periods of sanction for particular claimant ‘failures’ raising the minimum sanction for Jobseekers from one week to four weeks.

Notes to editors:

  1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website.
  2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
  3. To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk. You can also get advice online at adviceguide.org.uk
  4. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers
  5. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.3 million clients on 5.4 million problems from October 2013 to September 2014. For full 2013/2014  service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends
  6. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.