Many claimants are disappearing from the benefits system after being sanctioned, according to a new report co-authored by Frank Field MP, chair of the parliamentary work and pensions committee.
The report confirms the relevance of our local campaign on behalf of claimants whose individual circumstances aren’t recognised by the system.
In autumn last year we began to see an increasing number of clients who could properly be described as homeless in the fullest sense. We think this is partly because the sanctions system is too inflexible to deal effectively with less conventional lifestyles.
‘Fixing Broken Britain’, published by Civitas, a think tank, says “a number of claimants…..are being pushed permanently outside the benefits system, leading to some being totally disconnected from both work and welfare”.
We have alerted local benefit offices and are asking community leaders to be aware of the problem and join us in arguing for a more practical approach.