900,000 jobseeker claimants subject to benefit sanction in just the last year

168101112

Comments

  • Jol44Jol44 Posts: 21,048
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    What gets me also, is that whilst they stop the payment of any benefit, they still expect people to carry on as normal and turn up to be abused by job center staff despite the fact people are getting zero money.

    If someone receiving zero benefits fails to do exactly as they demand (though it's purposely not clear what they demand), they get sanctioned further.
  • stargirl 2stargirl 2 Posts: 2,061
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Jol44 wrote: »
    What gets me also, is that whilst they stop the payment of any benefit, they still expect people to carry on as normal and turn up to be abused by job center staff despite the fact people are getting zero money.

    If someone receiving zero benefits fails to do exactly as they demand (though it's purposely not clear what they demand), they get sanctioned further.

    jo thats why his sanction is 1yr it was extended from 6 months form the very reason you have stated

    its disgraceful, cant they see this man needs more help than others .
  • rupert_pupkinrupert_pupkin Posts: 3,975
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    ok folks i will tell you a real true sad story

    single male age 35 was on jsa 71 pounds per week

    accomodation private rent room cost 80 pound a week housing beneift 57 pounds per week so he pays top up rent

    water rates 7 pounds

    shared elec for use of kitchen and bathroom 6 pounds per week

    elec and gas for own room 10 pounds per week

    attends daily 9 till 5 mandatory work programme bus fare costs 6 pounds return per day

    as well as 9 till 5 every day has to do 35 hours of job searching a relative bought him a payg dongle as he had no comp simply coulndt afford one but was told by job centre he must have one

    he also has to apply for a reasonable onmount of jobs per week no set amount

    he has done all of this yet still not enough according to the job centre

    since may has been sanctioned and has not had 1p to live on appeal refused

    he cant claim any other other benefits as single males do not qualify

    he barely eats or has heating is sick with stress and if not for his mum helping him out since may he would have been homeless

    their is no help out their to get no hardship fund now

    now if this isnt cruel in this day and age what is, what more than this man do

    surely it inhumane to expect someone to survive without 1p for a year

    sadly he wont be the only one a and there will be more to come

    Is he in debt? I could tell you countless stories of people who work 50 or 60 hours a week and still don't have a penny to live on so they are 10 grand in debt.
  • Jol44Jol44 Posts: 21,048
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    ok folks i will tell you a real true sad story

    single male age 35 was on jsa 71 pounds per week

    accomodation private rent room cost 80 pound a week housing beneift 57 pounds per week so he pays top up rent

    water rates 7 pounds

    shared elec for use of kitchen and bathroom 6 pounds per week

    elec and gas for own room 10 pounds per week

    attends daily 9 till 5 mandatory work programme bus fare costs 6 pounds return per day

    as well as 9 till 5 every day has to do 35 hours of job searching a relative bought him a payg dongle as he had no comp simply coulndt afford one but was told by job centre he must have one

    he also has to apply for a reasonable onmount of jobs per week no set amount

    he has done all of this yet still not enough according to the job centre

    since may has been sanctioned and has not had 1p to live on appeal refused

    he cant claim any other other benefits as single males do not qualify

    he barely eats or has heating is sick with stress and if not for his mum helping him out since may he would have been homeless

    their is no help out their to get no hardship fund now

    now if this isnt cruel in this day and age what is, what more than this man do

    surely it inhumane to expect someone to survive without 1p for a year

    sadly he wont be the only one a and there will be more to come

    A terrible story and now sadly a very common one with many of those unfortunate enough to find themselves unemployed.

    What gets me is that some people just don't care and/or will say anything to try and obscure the truth of the matter.
  • Jol44Jol44 Posts: 21,048
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Is he in debt? I could tell you countless stories of people who work 50 or 60 hours a week and still don't have a penny to live on so they are 10 grand in debt.

    Low wages are another huge issue in this country, as is the exploitation of people to get them into debt.

    Many working people have their wages topped up with benefits too, which are or no doubt soon will be open to sanction under Universal credit.

    Start a thread on it if you care about such a topic.
  • JB3JB3 Posts: 9,308
    Forum Member
    Is he in debt? I could tell you countless stories of people who work 50 or 60 hours a week and still don't have a penny to live on so they are 10 grand in debt.
    His income was £71 a week and his outgoings as listed were £76 - so whether or not he is in debt is irrelevant to his current situation, apart from extra stress caused to him if he does have debts.
  • rupert_pupkinrupert_pupkin Posts: 3,975
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    JB3 wrote: »
    His income was £71 a week and his outgoings as listed were £72 - so whether or not he is in debt is irrelevant to his current situation, apart from extra stress caused to him if he does have debts.

    It's relevant. I would rather be debt free and penniless with lots of spare time than up to my eyeballs in debt working all week and still penniless

    I mean I'd rather not be in either situation but if I had to choose..
  • Jol44Jol44 Posts: 21,048
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    It's relevant. I would rather be debt free and penniless with lots of spare time than up to my eyeballs in debt working all week and still penniless

    I mean I'd rather not be in either situation but if I had to choose..

    Oh stop trying to belittle the plight of someone else.

    You're post makes about as much sense as saying 'does he have arms and legs', 'oh I'd rather have arms and legs'.

    It's a terrible state of affairs.

    Belittling someone just because they haven't got themselves into debt is ludicrous. If they had got themselves into debt you'd no doubt be saying it's their own fault and shouldn't have got themselves into debt. Basically the long and short of it is you couldn't care less.
  • tim59tim59 Posts: 47,188
    Forum Member
    It's relevant. I would rather be debt free and penniless with lots of spare time than up to my eyeballs in debt working all week and still penniless

    I mean I'd rather not be in either situation but if I had to choose..

    Low wages and high rents are effecting millions of people in the uk, and are the failing of the system not of the people effected.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,074
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    ok folks i will tell you a real true sad story

    attends daily 9 till 5 mandatory work programme bus fare costs 6 pounds return per day

    as well as 9 till 5 every day
    9 till 5 eveyday is 40hrs a week?
    mandatory work progamme work placements are 16 to up to 30hrs a week for 2 to up to 8 weeks.
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    has to do 35 hours of job searching
    35hrs?
    To claim JSA a person must be actively seeking work. To count as actively seeking work you need to take a minimum of 3 steps each week, unless taking one or two steps is all that is reasonable to do in that week.
    Steps which may be considered reasonable for a person to take in any week include:
    •oral, written or phone applications for employment;
    •obtaining information on the availability of employment from advertisements, employment agencies, businesses or employers;
    •registering with an employment agency or employment business;
    •appointing a third party to help her/him find work;
    •seeking specialist advice, or referral by an employment officer, on how to improve prospects of securing employment, taking into account her/his needs and limitations;
    •drawing up a curriculum vitae (CV);
    •seeking references from previous employers;
    •drawing up a list of employers with a view to seeking information from them;
    •seeking information about an employer who may be able to offer employment;
    •seeking information on an occupation with a view to securing employment in that occupation
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    a relative bought him a payg dongle as he had no comp simply coulndt afford one but was told by job centre he must have one
    Told he must have a pyg phone?
    You do not need a pyg phone to be eligible for JSA.
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    he also has to apply for a reasonable onmount of jobs per week no set amount
    Has to apply for a reasonable amount of jobs per week?
    You have to take three steps a week, unless it is reasonable for you to only take one or two steps. I have listed things that count as steps above, it is technically possible to claim JSA for a week and not apply for any jobs in that week.
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    he has done all of this yet still not enough according to the job centre
    On what grounds was the sanction made.
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    since may has been sanctioned and has not had 1p to live on appeal refused
    An appeal cannot be refused. You can lose an appeal.
    On what grounds was the sanction made and his appeal fail.
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    he cant claim any other other benefits as single males do not qualify

    he barely eats or has heating is sick with stress and if not for his mum helping him out since may he would have been homeless

    their is no help out their to get no hardship fund now
    Hardship payments still exist for people who have been sanctioned who are facing real hardship they can be claimed 2 weeks (or sooner if on sickness or disability or a carer or have children) from the start of the sanction unless the sanction is for non compliance with work program in which case I believe they must comply before claiming hardship payments.
    The crisis loan system no longer exists it has been replaced by local authority run schemes.
    stargirl 2 wrote: »
    now if this isnt cruel in this day and age what is, what more than this man do

    surely it inhumane to expect someone to survive without 1p for a year

    sadly he wont be the only one a and there will be more to come
    This real true sad story is due to the Jobcentre Plus, Workprogramme provide, and DWP decision maker all not following the law, and the claimant being expected to do things they are not required to do, 40 hrs a week work progamme when it is only up to 30hrs a week. 35hrs a week of job searching and have a pyg phone and to apply for a "reasonable" number of jobs every week when they only need to take three steps towards getting a job to be actively seeking employment. Being sanctioned for apparantly no reason when they are entitled to know the reason and being denied an appeal when they have the right to appeal. Not claiming or being denied support they are entitled to while sanctioned, hardship payments or hardship payments upon compliance with the workprogramme, help from their local authority.
  • gothergother Posts: 14,655
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    It's relevant. I would rather be debt free and penniless with lots of spare time than up to my eyeballs in debt working all week and still penniless

    I mean I'd rather not be in either situation but if I had to choose..

    One pay check away from being on benefits always remember that, how's the view up there on your high horse btw?
  • Steve_WhelanSteve_Whelan Posts: 1,986
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    9 till 5 eveyday is 40hrs a week?
    mandatory work progamme work placements are 16 to up to 30hrs a week for 2 to up to 8 weeks.

    35hrs?
    To claim JSA a person must be actively seeking work. To count as actively seeking work you need to take a minimum of 3 steps each week, unless taking one or two steps is all that is reasonable to do in that week.
    Steps which may be considered reasonable for a person to take in any week include:
    •oral, written or phone applications for employment;
    •obtaining information on the availability of employment from advertisements, employment agencies, businesses or employers;
    •registering with an employment agency or employment business;
    •appointing a third party to help her/him find work;
    •seeking specialist advice, or referral by an employment officer, on how to improve prospects of securing employment, taking into account her/his needs and limitations;
    •drawing up a curriculum vitae (CV);
    •seeking references from previous employers;
    •drawing up a list of employers with a view to seeking information from them;
    •seeking information about an employer who may be able to offer employment;
    •seeking information on an occupation with a view to securing employment in that occupation

    Told he must have a pyg phone?
    You do not need a pyg phone to be eligible for JSA.

    Has to apply for a reasonable amount of jobs per week?
    You have to take three steps a week, unless it is reasonable for you to only take one or two steps. I have listed things that count as steps above, it is technically possible to claim JSA for a week and not apply for any jobs in that week.

    On what grounds was the sanction made.

    An appeal cannot be refused. You can lose an appeal.
    On what grounds was the sanction made and his appeal fail.

    Hardship payments still exist for people who have been sanctioned who are facing real hardship they can be claimed 2 weeks (or sooner if on sickness or disability or a carer or have children) from the start of the sanction unless the sanction is for non compliance with work program in which case I believe they must comply before claiming hardship payments.
    The crisis loan system no longer exists it has been replaced by local authority run schemes.

    This real true sad story is due to the Jobcentre Plus, Workprogramme provide, and DWP decision maker all not following the law, and the claimant being expected to do things they are not required to do, 40 hrs a week work progamme when it is only up to 30hrs a week. 35hrs a week of job searching and have a pyg phone and to apply for a "reasonable" number of jobs every week when they only need to take three steps towards getting a job to be actively seeking employment. Being sanctioned for apparantly no reason when they are entitled to know the reason and being denied an appeal when they have the right to appeal. Not claiming or being denied support they are entitled to while sanctioned, hardship payments or hardship payments upon compliance with the workprogramme, help from their local authority.

    Whenever I read a overly melodramatic story like the one above alarm bells start ringing it contains so many factual inaccuracies that are so easy debunked that it comes over as a hatchet piece written by someone in the DWP to discredit genuine examples of people who have been unfairly sanctioned.
  • CELT1987CELT1987 Posts: 12,347
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    9 till 5 eveyday is 40hrs a week?
    mandatory work progamme work placements are 16 to up to 30hrs a week for 2 to up to 8 weeks.

    35hrs?
    To claim JSA a person must be actively seeking work. To count as actively seeking work you need to take a minimum of 3 steps each week, unless taking one or two steps is all that is reasonable to do in that week.
    Steps which may be considered reasonable for a person to take in any week include:
    •oral, written or phone applications for employment;
    •obtaining information on the availability of employment from advertisements, employment agencies, businesses or employers;
    •registering with an employment agency or employment business;
    •appointing a third party to help her/him find work;
    •seeking specialist advice, or referral by an employment officer, on how to improve prospects of securing employment, taking into account her/his needs and limitations;
    •drawing up a curriculum vitae (CV);
    •seeking references from previous employers;
    •drawing up a list of employers with a view to seeking information from them;
    •seeking information about an employer who may be able to offer employment;
    •seeking information on an occupation with a view to securing employment in that occupation

    Told he must have a pyg phone?
    You do not need a pyg phone to be eligible for JSA.

    Has to apply for a reasonable amount of jobs per week?
    You have to take three steps a week, unless it is reasonable for you to only take one or two steps. I have listed things that count as steps above, it is technically possible to claim JSA for a week and not apply for any jobs in that week.

    On what grounds was the sanction made.

    An appeal cannot be refused. You can lose an appeal.
    On what grounds was the sanction made and his appeal fail.

    Hardship payments still exist for people who have been sanctioned who are facing real hardship they can be claimed 2 weeks (or sooner if on sickness or disability or a carer or have children) from the start of the sanction unless the sanction is for non compliance with work program in which case I believe they must comply before claiming hardship payments.
    The crisis loan system no longer exists it has been replaced by local authority run schemes.

    This real true sad story is due to the Jobcentre Plus, Workprogramme provide, and DWP decision maker all not following the law, and the claimant being expected to do things they are not required to do, 40 hrs a week work progamme when it is only up to 30hrs a week. 35hrs a week of job searching and have a pyg phone and to apply for a "reasonable" number of jobs every week when they only need to take three steps towards getting a job to be actively seeking employment. Being sanctioned for apparantly no reason when they are entitled to know the reason and being denied an appeal when they have the right to appeal. Not claiming or being denied support they are entitled to while sanctioned, hardship payments or hardship payments upon compliance with the workprogramme, help from their local authority.
    In an ideal world the DWP and Jobcentre would both follow rules correctly. They don't however and make it up as they go along. Hence so many sanctions.
  • jacquelineannejacquelineanne Posts: 1,692
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Jol44 wrote: »
    A terrible story and now sadly a very common one with many of those unfortunate enough to find themselves unemployed.

    What gets me is that some people just don't care and/or will say anything to try and obscure the truth of the matter.

    If he is paying £320 a month just for one bedroom and has to pay utility bills on top, then he is well and truly being ripped off by his landlord.
  • sweetpeanutsweetpeanut Posts: 4,805
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    If he is paying £320 a month just for one bedroom and has to pay utility bills on top, then he is well and truly being ripped off by his landlord.

    A lot of places you would not get even a bedsit for that.
  • tim59tim59 Posts: 47,188
    Forum Member
    If he is paying £320 a month just for one bedroom and has to pay utility bills on top, then he is well and truly being ripped off by his landlord.

    Pretty norm alot of these rents are i have know landlords give notice to families to leave a house they rent from him, then the landlord lets out rooms in the place as more money can be made by doing it this way.
  • annette kurtenannette kurten Posts: 39,543
    Forum Member
    If he is paying £320 a month just for one bedroom and has to pay utility bills on top, then he is well and truly being ripped off by his landlord.

    studio flats here for £189 per WEEK, that would represent either a bargain or a complete shithole here, most likely the latter.
  • Jol44Jol44 Posts: 21,048
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    This real true sad story is due to the Jobcentre Plus, Workprogramme provide, and DWP decision maker all not following the law.

    While others turn a blind eye.
  • Jol44Jol44 Posts: 21,048
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    yorkiegal wrote: »
    my friend was told he needed to apply for ten jobs per week on the universal job match site. he doesn't have internet access at home and would need to pay bus fare to get to the nearest library to use their computer. So he went there twice per week and often applied for around 20 jobs in total.
    He got sanctioned for applying for too many on two days and not on the others. He was told he should have spread it out over the week.
    He wasn't just sat around on the other days. He's a carer for his disabled wife but she got her ESA turned down because they thought the fact that she made it to her medical interview (with her therapist accompanying her) meant that she could manage to work. 2 yrs ago she was earning 50k per year as a behavioural neuroscientist in an american university. The DWP seem to think she enjoys sitting at home all day and receiving a pittance to live on and must be faking her condition.

    Applied for too many jobs on the wrong day.

    Ridiculous isn't it.
  • CELT1987CELT1987 Posts: 12,347
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    If he is paying £320 a month just for one bedroom and has to pay utility bills on top, then he is well and truly being ripped off by his landlord.
    My one bedroom bungalow is £328 a month and I live in the North of Scotland.
  • Jenny_SawyerJenny_Sawyer Posts: 12,858
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    People moan about people on benefits having nice things/doing nice things & assume that they must be 'on the fiddle'. I am on benefits & I went to Tenerife on holiday this year & next year I'm going to Cyprus on holiday. Did the DWP pay for these holidays? No of course they bloody well didn't! Am I working for cash in hand on the side? No! My parents pay for these holidays, they are both retired & are rent/mortgage free & have private pensions as well as state pensions, in the case of my mother she has inherited money & so has her husband (my step-dad).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,074
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    But it is not a one bed studio flat or a one bedroom bugalow. It is one bedroom in a shared house, shared bathroom and kitchen. This true sad story is of someone who is paying rent £80 a week for one room in a shared house plus £10 for the electricity they use in their room plus £6 for the electric they use in the shared rest of the house, presumably this house has an electric meter in each bedroom plus a seperate electric meter for the shared rest of the house, plus they are paying £7 for the water.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,074
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    People moan about people on benefits having nice things/doing nice things & assume that they must be 'on the fiddle'. I am on benefits & I went to Tenerife on holiday this year & next year I'm going to Cyprus on holiday. Did the DWP pay for these holidays? No
    As this thread is about JSA I can't resist but to ask if you are on income based JSA and if you are if you informed the DWP when you went abroad on holiday last year, and when you are going abroad on holiday this year. As income based JSA can not be claimed for any period you are abroad on holiday.
  • James_MayJames_May Posts: 606
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    CELT1987 wrote: »
    My one bedroom bungalow is £328 a month and I live in the North of Scotland.

    Good for you, I live in SW London and studio flats range anywhere from £750 - £1000+ per month in my borough, 1 bedroom flats start from about £950 and that's if you can find one at that price, most are in the £1050 - £1300 price range. To rent a single room in a shared flat/house would cost £500 - £650 per month. £320 would get you a single room for a fortnight around here.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,074
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    yorkiegal wrote: »
    He got sanctioned for applying for too many on two days and not on the others. He was told he should have spread it out over the week.
    Jol44 wrote: »
    Applied for too many jobs on the wrong day.

    Ridiculous isn't it.
    So ridiculous and not grounds to be sanctioned that it stretches credulity.
    Did they just except this suprious unwarrented sanction that had no basis in law or did they appeal.
Sign In or Register to comment.