Nine Times More People Sanctioned Under Universal Credit

Statistics have been released by the government detailing how many people who need support from benefits are being sanctioned. This means having their financial support cut or stopped entirely because they’re not able to do the things that are being asked of them, such as attend appointments with a work coach or Jobcentre Plus advisor.

Universal Credit (UC) is gradually replacing a combination of other benefits, including Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), provided to those who aren’t currently able to work due to a mental and/or physical health problems, and Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) provided to people looking for paid work.

The figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show:

Sanctions under Universal Credit are at least nine times higher than the benefits it is replacing. In the last period for which data is available 2.8 per cent of people saw their benefits drop due to a UC sanction compared to 0.3 per cent of people on JSA and 0.1 per cent of people on ESA.

Disabled people receiving ESA are over three times more likely than people in receipt of JSA to still be receiving benefits six months after a sanction - 85 per cent of people receiving ESA compared to 27 per cent people receiving JSA.

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