The sanctions spiral: The unequal impact and hardship caused by sanctions in Universal Credit

Benefits and work

18 July 2023

The sanctions spiral: The unequal impact and hardship caused by sanctions in Universal Credit 731 KB

Sanctions rates within Universal Credit have more than doubled in the last 3 years and at Citizens Advice we are helping more and more people with sanctions.

People we help tell us they’ve been sanctioned for missing meetings due to ill health, caring responsibilities or phone or internet issues. Work coaches often take a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ approach, where they apply sanctions without asking claimants why they didn't do the required activity.

More needs to be done to make the system fairer and there are 2 immediate, simple changes that would help:

First, to better understand the unequal impact of sanctions, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) should publish more demographic data on UC claimants, especially those subject to sanctions.
Second, to protect those at risk of sanctions, the DWP should ensure that staff give people time to explain or submit evidence before a sanction is applied.

In the longer term, we need a fresh approach and a move away from sanctions that too often penalise people for being on a low income.