More than 850 people across Ealing have had their universal credit benefit sanctioned, new research has found.
Think Tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research looked at sanction rates connected with Jobcentres across the country and analysed data for November 2022 which revealed that in Ealing, 855 out of 12,227 people had been sanctioned, a rate of 7.9%, which is also the new national average.
According to the IPPR, the overall sanction rate for Universal Credit claimants in the full ‘searching for work’ group of 7.9 per cent is now double that of the the pre-pandemic rate.
The IPPR is calling on the government to review how it sanctions people and “urges government to pause all sanctions until inflation is brought under control”.
Neighbouring borough Brent had a sanctioning rate of 7.4%, Hammersmith & Fulham had 9.1% and Hounslow was at 7.8%.
Compared to other regions, Ealing is in the middle. IPPR found that 13 per cent of universal credit claimants in Knowsley, Merseyside are sanctioned, while the sanction rate is only 2.9 per cent for people in Broadland, Norfolk.
Henry Parkes, senior economist at IPPR said: “Sanction rates are climbing rapidly, and it seems your chances of being sanctioned are largely down to the temperament of your local jobcentre. We already know that sanctions can push people into destitution, so as the cost of living crisis continues it is urgent that the government pauses, rather than expands, its sanctions regime while it investigates what’s driving the rise and variation in sanction rates.”
Mr Parkes added: “To press ahead instead with even tougher sanctions when the existing system is already something of a postcode lottery, and when everyone is struggling with rising living costs, would be both foolish and unfair.”
As well as suspending sanctions until inflation is brought under control, the IPPR is seeking the government to review the rise in sanctions rates and regional variations to address what is says is the “risk that officials in some Jobcentres use their discretion to apply the rules more strictly than in others”.
It also suggests to introduce a ‘yellow-card’ system to remove a financial penalty as the first sanction and replace it with an intervention meeting.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “Our priority is to help people find and move into work and the latest figures show an overwhelming amount – 97.6% – of sanctions are applied simply due to claimants failing to attend mandatory appointments, not for failing to undertake work search requirements.
“Sanctions can often quickly be resolved by the claimant re-engaging with the Jobcentre and attending the next appointment.”
