The proportion of universal credit (UC) claimants who have been sanctioned has fallen in the most recent quarter, but the number of sanctions handed out remains near record levels, according to figures released this week.

According to the DWP’s latest statistics, in August 2024, 5.61% of UC claimants who were in the conditionality regimes where sanctions can be applied, were undergoing a sanction.

This is down by 0.6% from May 2024 and is down by 1.5% compared to 12 months ago.

However, the actual number of sanctions imposed in July 2024 was 54,000.  This is not far off the highest ever number, which was 59,000 in March 2022.

The reason why sanctions numbers have remained high, whilst the percentage rate of sanctions has fallen is that there are now more claimants in the conditionality regime who could face a sanction.

There are now 2.12 million UC claimants in the conditionality regimes where sanctions can be applied, making up 30.5% of the UC caseload.

As always, the overwhelming number of sanctions, currently 91%, are for failure to attend or participate an a mandatory interview.

The highest number of sanctions are in the 4-13 week band.  In August 2024, 22,000 people completed a sanction of this length.  17,000 people completed sanctions lasting under 4 weeks in the same period.

There has been a worrying increase in the number of people completing sanctions lasting over 26 weeks.  This had remained steady at around 3,600 a month but has leapt to 5,000 in August 2024.

This means that over 10% of all sanctions completed in August 2024 lasted for over 26 weeks.

If Labour is serious about encouraging more disabled claimants to attempt work, the barbaric sanctions regime is one of the first things that needs to go.  As long as it exists, the very rational fear of doing anything to disturb an existing claim will be almost insurmountable.

You can read the full sanctions statistics here.

Members can download our guide to “Ways to prevent and overturn ESA and UC sanctions” from the ESA/UC Guides page.

Comments

Write comments...
or post as a guest
People in conversation:
Loading comment... The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 20 hours ago
    Hi . I have a question? I was on contribution based ESA in the support group.  As well as claiming  ESA  they paid my national insurance , but I have too much in the bank . After a divorce  which I wasn't in the wrong . My question is that  what happens to my national insurance ? Ps I am registered disabled retired on tier 2 on the NHS never to work again. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 days ago
    Only 5%on uc sanctions I don't believe that at all
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 3 days ago
    Just heard on the radio Labour will be scrapping the £3 bus charge altogether after putting it up from £2 recently. More cuts for the less well off.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 13 hours ago
      @MJ It's to be scrapped at the end of next year (2025). The Tories didn't mean it to be permanent, we're lucky Labour decided to continue for another year.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 18 hours ago
      @MJ
      The fact they increased it in the first place is a sign of how tone deaf and out of touch they are with the British people.
      They are a million miles away from the party of the working class they once purported to be.
      Now they exist as champagne socialists, with no idea of the struggles we face and difficulties that extra bus fare can lead to.

      Any U-turn in this decision is purely optics after public outcry.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 days ago
      @A I meant, "I don't believe anything of what Liz Kendall says".
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 days ago
      @CaroA I don't believe anything Liz Kendall says.  She's now saying, "Don't call people who aren't working economically inactive because it dehumanises real human beings", when she was the very one who used to religiously parrot "economically inactive" people, having copied it from Alan Milburn.

      "More than 1 in 5 people are economically inactive."

      “People who are economically inactive are not one single group." 

      “Not enough is being done to make jobs attractive and wages sufficient to help close the gap with benefit payments so that people who are economically inactive feel that work is worth it.”

      "9.4 million people are now economically inactive."

      "Health and skills plans for the economically inactive, led by Mayors and local areas."

      "Economically inactive people are holding back the UK economy."

      Trust me, I can keep listing her calling people " economically inactive" on and on.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 3 days ago
      @CaroA That's actually quite an encouraging article for the Torygraph. People much what a lot of people have been saying on here.

      Will that translate into a more caring approach to migration from the DWP though?

      Sadly, I doubt it. Hope I'm proved wrong though.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 3 days ago
      @CaroA I’ve got to say that I’m sceptical about her sudden discovery of human compassion and tolerance.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 4 days ago
    https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/a3b3d338-fd31-4b72-ab5f-e5c926544e32

    Liz Kendall being interviewed by the Work and Pensions committee this week.  She is sounding remarkably human and compassionate let's hope 🙏 that this can be translated into compassionate policy going forward.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 6 days ago
    Since the fall of the Soviet Unions the counter weight to the West ended and with it slowly but surely all the workers rights that were given out of fear of support for the left. Now we have indeed gone backwards to Dickensian times of the 19th century, with workers rights and the safety net eroded step by step, getting back to the old neo capitalists which were around then. It seems we have slow walked into the hands of the worst of capitalism and will have to fight back every step of the way as our grandparents once did. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 6 days ago
    Over 2 million people trying to survive on £90.50 or £71.70 per week and under the cosh if they are not enthused by insecure jobs paying slave wages is a recipe for ill health. This is economic terrorism by any other name. People are thus forced to rely on the medical profession not just for healthcare but for actual survival. Many do not survive even then. What a palaver !
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 5 days ago
      @Jon Yes but a newspaper in the smoke costs the same in brum.  And so does stuff from aldi's their prices are across the board.  I say this because aldi release their leaflets out on a regular basis showing and letting you know what items will be in store & theire prices.  Or does aldi send different areas of the uk with the same leaflets but showing / advertizing a higher price.

      The difference i think is in london ( the power house)  things like child care/ minders, rates, rents, house prices, solicitor's ,barristors, builders, labourers, and other  etc etc etc are extremely expensive.  And so is pint in a local boozer.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 5 days ago
      @Mr Steez Mr steez I said in my first comment I was excluding the south east including london
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 6 days ago
      @Jon i live in London Jon my boy and i can assure you that the minimum wage rate if you live here in the capital  is horrendous
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 6 days ago
      @A Surely if somebody earns £11.50 per hour x 40 hours full time they won't pay hardly any tax and NI so could take home £400 pounds per week that's alot more than I received in disability allowance plus junior doctors were only earning £14 pounds per hour until recently
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 6 days ago
      @Jon It does not buy as much as the minimum wage of 10 years ago and certainly is a drop in the standard of living 

Free PIP, ESA & UC Updates!

Delivered Fortnightly

Over 110,000 claimants and professionals subscribe to the UK's leading source of benefits news.

 
iContact
We use cookies

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.