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.

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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 5 hours 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.
    · 12 hours 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.
      · 1 hours 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.
      · 2 hours 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.
      · 5 hours 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 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 10 hours ago
      @philip The minimum wage seems at a reasonable rate unless you live in the south east

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