Latest news with #Jobcentres
The Sun
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Warning for anyone claiming Universal Credit as 680,000 have payments cut or stopped
MORE than half a million households claiming Universal Credit saw their payments cut or stopped in the past year. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed that 680,000 people were sanctioned between February 2024 and January 2025. 1 This means their payments were either stopped or reduced. Over 581,480 claimants were penalised for not attending mandatory interviews with work coaches at Jobcentres. Another 16,440 had their payments cut for missing employment programmes, while 8,880 were sanctioned for not providing a valid reason for quitting a job. Despite this, the Universal Credit sanction rate fell slightly to 5.5% in February 2025, down by 0.1 percentage point compared to November 2024. When you claim Universal Credit or any benefit, you sign yourself up for commitments that you have to meet to get the financial support. This may be from showing you're actively looking for a job to being on time for appointments. But if you fail to do what you promised in that agreement, you could see the benefit money taken away from you. Exactly how much you'll have taken off your claim depends on what you've done - or not done. Any penalties you might face will only apply to the standard element of your claim - so extra cash you get through the housing or childcare elements will still be paid. All the freebies you can get on Universal Credit What causes sanctions? There are several major reasons why you could be sanctioned if you claim Universal Credit. Here are five mistakes that could see your payments stopped: Not applying or looking for work Part of the Claimant Commitment includes spending 35 hours a week looking for work, which you will need to keep a record of to show your work coach. But if you don't, you may have your benefits cut. The same goes if you're not putting the hours in to look. If your Jobcentre work coach doesn't feel you're doing enough to get back into work, you can be sanctioned. Refusing a job offer If you've been offered a job, you're expected to take it - so long as it's within reason. This is because the benefits system supports you while you're out of work but with the goal of helping you find a job again. Refusing a job offer just because you don't want it will see you sanctioned at the highest level. Quitting your job without good reason Quitting your job without a good reason could see you sanctioned too. There's no set definition of what a good reason is, but it might include unaffordable childcare costs. You might have your benefit payments reduced. Being late to appointments and interviews Often, people on Universal Credit are required to attend interviews and appointments with the Jobcentre in order to update them on their search for work, for example. These are held face to face or can be over the phone or via video chat. If you're late for these appointments and interviews, you could see your payments cut. If you have a good reason why you can't attend a meeting, then you should let the Jobcentre know immediately. But if you fail to turn up to a meeting you'll likely be sanctioned until you visit your next review. If you've repeatedly missed meetings, the sanctions may be stricter and last longer. Not updating your information The amount of Universal Credit you are entitled to depends on many factors surrounding your individual circumstances. That might be how many hours you work or how many children you have. But failing to report a change in circumstances, like moving house or getting a new job, could see you sanctioned. In the worst cases, you may be committing benefit fraud and could even face legal action. Can I appeal a sanction? If you think you've been sanctioned unfairly, you can contact the DWP and ask for a "mandatory reconsideration". You have one month from when you were notified about the sanction to do so. If you've been sanctioned unfairly, the first thing you must do is check the level of sanction and for how long your money has been reduced. You'll then need to contact the DWP for a mandatory reconsideration if you think they've made the wrong decision. Citizens Advice says you should have been told: Why you've received a sanction The level of sanction you've been given How long the sanction will last How much money will be taken away from your Universal Credit payment The date the sanction decision was made It is still worth applying for a mandatory reconsideration if you have missed the one-month deadline for a good reason, such as being in hospital. You can apply for a mandatory reconsideration in several ways - just remember to include as much supporting evidence as possible. If you have an online Universal Credit account, you can write a message to the DWP explaining why you disagree with the decision. You can also print off and fill out the CRMR1 mandatory reconsideration request form on but remember to allow time for your letter to get to the DWP before your deadline window. You can also call the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644. Letters should be sent to DWP Complaints, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton, WV99 2GY. What if I don't agree with the decision? If you disagree with the decision of your mandatory reconsideration, you can appeal to a First-Tier tribunal. Claimants have one month to do this, although this is extended to 13 months for exceptional circumstances. You'll need to download and fill in the SSCS1 form from the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website. The form will ask for you: Name and contact details National Insurance number Reasons for appealing HMCTS Appeals Centre, PO Box 1203, Bradford, BD1 9WP. The DWP will be asked to respond to your appeal within 28 days. Are you missing out on benefits? YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to Charity Turn2Us' benefits calculator works out what you could get. Entitledto's free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit. and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data. You can use Policy in Practice's calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs. Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Is reform of the welfare system still possible?
During the chaotic debate that led to the implosion of the government's disability benefit reforms, Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, acknowledged: 'Welfare reform is never easy, especially perhaps for Labour governments.' The question after her full-scale retreat on disability benefit cuts is whether it is possible at all. How did we get here? Alarm has been growing over the surge in sickness benefit claims since Covid, with total spending of £81 billion this year, almost £30 billion higher than in 2019. Numbers claiming both for incapacity, because they cannot work, and disability, to compensate for the extra costs of sickness, have been rising. But the jump in the latter is been particularly stark: a thousand people a day start claiming, double pre-pandemic levels, and another two million claimants are projected by the end of the decade. The Conservatives announced plans to deal with it shortly before losing power and Labour took office pledging to control spending. What was Labour proposing? As well as an overhaul of Jobcentres and employment services, Kendall is pledging contentious reforms to benefits to get people back to work. This included a new requirement on the long-term sick to discuss plans to get back to work, and halving of incapacity benefit for new claimants to increase incentives to get a job. But the most controversial were cost-cutting plans that would have made it harder to claim personal independence payments (PIP), the main disability benefit. These were junked in a chaotic climbdown in the face of a mass revolt from Labour MPs. What's left? The universal credit health element will still be halved for new claimants deemed unfit to work, costing 730,000 people about £3,000 a year, while Labour MPs have largely accept the long-term sick do need to do more to consider work. A ban on those under 22 claiming incapacity benefits also remains. But so too does extra spending from boosting the standard rate of universal credit for 3.9 million people who get an extra £265 a year, cancelling previous Tory cuts and boosting spending on employment support by £1 billion a year. What happens now? Sir Stephen Timms, the disability minister, will lead a review into the future of PIP, promising that this will be 'co-produced' with disability groups and will not set out to make savings. Tom Pollard of the New Economics Foundation think tank, said it was possible this would lead to plans that could enjoy widespread support while controlling costs, but warned: 'There has been a lot of trust lost, and disability groups will go in alert to the idea that the government wants to save money, so the risk is you end up with a stalemate through lack of trust.' Campaigners said that the cuts to public services and restrictions on social welfare would be detrimental to people receiving disability assistance CARL COURT/GETTY IMAGES Politically will Labour MPs accept welfare reform? Most Labour MPs agree that Kendall's case for reform is strong. One loyalist said that PIP has 'become totally unmoored from its original purpose' and that more fundamental rethinking is now needed. But no one can agree who should lose out: squaring the circle of pleasing disability groups while saving money appears all but impossible. Ben Zaranko of the Institute for Fiscal Studies warns that 'there is no way to save big sums without taking big sums off people who are currently classed as disabled', and many Labour MPs have shown they will not accept this. Even the loyalists have been burnt by repeatedly defending contentious changes which were subsequently junked. What happens if welfare is not reformed? Spending on sickness benefit is back on course to top £100 billion by the end of the parliament, leaving less for public services. Zaranko warned that the benefits system 'clearly isn't on a sustainable trajectory' and that any government would have to make changes. 'We do need to have a view about slowing that rise and targeting support at those who need it most,' he said. When can the government expect savings? Most now accept that any reforms are going to take too long for the government to persuade the Office for Budget Responsibility to bank savings in the short term. Deven Ghelani, director of the consultancy Policy in Practice and one of the architects of the universal credit system, said the reforms were 'bungled because Treasury-led reforms don't work. While the government can score the savings at the start of the parliament, they are never able to deliver on them.' MPs and experts point out that welfare reform is notoriously slow — universal credit was introduced more than a decade ago and many claimants will not move on to it until next year. What other ideas are there? With MPs saying that 'tinkering' has not worked, there may be appetite for more radical options. The Centre for Social Justice has suggested those with milder mental health conditions should no longer be able to claim, with a portion of the savings ploughed back into NHS therapy. Joe Shalam, its director of policy and former DWP adviser, said that 'all is not lost for welfare reform', arguing: 'By targeting mental health benefits and investing in therapy and back-to-work support, ministers will save money and change lives'. Zaranko said PIP was 'designed with an old-fashioned view of disability when a lot of the fastest growth has been for mental health conditions'. He suggested that it should be 'redesigned from the bottom up. We need to think about what the most appropriate kind of support is, which for some people may be counselling'. What about addressing the underlying problems? While benefit claims have outpaced the rise in disability, there is no doubt we are becoming sicker. 'What's going on in the benefits system is symptomatic of an ill society where there is poor health, poor public services and a lot of poverty,' Pollard said. 'Ultimately the path to savings is to have fewer health problems because you're spending more on prevention.' Yet in the short term, that too is very costly. Whatever the future for welfare reform, the certainty is that there is no quick fix.
The Independent
30-01-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Kendall pledges to ‘overhaul' Government relationship with employers
A Cabinet minister has pledged to 'overhaul' the Government's relationship with employers with reforms to Jobcentres to 'better meet' the needs of businesses. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall described her department as the 'HR department' for ministers' growth missions as she unveiled plans for better Whitehall support for businesses using the jobs service. Friday's announcement will see employers who want to use Jobcentres to fill vacancies being offered an account manager with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to provide recruitment support. The DWP has also committed to summits in the next three months with businesses across sectors it believes to be important to growth, such as construction and social care. These sectors will also see a boost in the number of training programmes available at Jobcentres. Speaking to the PA news agency on a visit to a B&M store, Ms Kendall said her department is 'going to overhaul our relationship with employers'. According to the DWP, the retail chain has found almost 3,000 employees through Jobcentres. Asked why she thought employers had not used the Jobcentre network, the minister said: 'Some employers think that they have to tell their story too many times to lots of different Jobcentres, that Jobcentres don't do enough to understand their particular needs as an individual employer. 'So that's what we are trying to change. 'Our job is to serve employers so that we can get more people off benefits into work; that's better for them, it helps the economy grow and it's better for the taxpayer too.' In a separate statement released by the department on Friday, Ms Kendall described the DWP as the 'HR department for the Government's growth mission' and said its job is to 'work with businesses to meet their recruitment needs'. Earlier in January a review headed by former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield into how businesses and Government can work together to get the disabled and long-term sick into jobs was officially launched. Ms Kendall is due to set out sweeping reforms to sickness and disability benefits in the spring, and has said that more people need to move off welfare and into jobs. Speaking to PA on Thursday, she blamed Conservative administrations for failing to get on top of welfare spending, and said: 'We're going to get the benefits bill on a more sustainable course – and it has to be, we cannot accept these costs of failure, failure for individuals, failure for businesses and failure for the economy. 'But the way to do this is to get more people into work through the reforms that we're putting in place in our Jobcentres and through reform of the benefit system. 'And we'll be bringing forward our Green Paper on reforming sickness and disability benefits in the spring.'
