The Jobcentre Sanctions Scandal In Britain: With Limited Access To Food Banks, Destitution Is A High Risk For Hundreds of Thousands

Currently briefing senior UN officials (including Ms.Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, and Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on the right to food) regarding the destitution of UK benefit claimants who have been sanctioned by Jobcentres and stripped of any income for weeks or months if they are deemed to be not trying hard enough to find work.

A question for my Twitter followers: Sanctioned benefit claimants have limited access to food banks and are at high risk of destitution. A couple of the articles below mention the right to an independent appeal, but there is no mention of the timescale (i.e. delay) between the appeal being made and the appeal decision rendered. Does anyone know? Should I write the DWP?


A total of 680,000 sanctions were handed out in the 10 months up to October 2012, already more than in the whole of 2011, according an analysis of figures from the DWP—so this has evolved into a serious and considerably urgent matter.

References: Food Poverty: UN Special Rapporteur Finds Austerity, Food Banks And Working Poor In UK 'Extremely Worrying' (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/02/19/food-poverty-un-special-rapporteur-olivier-de-schutter-banks-austerity_n_2714969.html)

Magdalena Sepúlveda: 'Austerity is devastating for the world's poorest'(http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/26/magdalena-sepulveda-austerity-devastating-worlds-poorest?INTCMP=SRCH)

Jobcentre was set targets for benefit sanctions
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/21/jobcentre-set-targets-benefit-sanctions)

The jobseeker's story: 'I'm not proud to say I've gone begging'
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/22/jobseekers-story-benefit-sanctions)

Jobcentre sanctions: 'Your money is stopped, you go into freefall' - video
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/video/2013/mar/22/jobcentre-sanctions-money-stopped-video)

Mum's fears after benefits stopped
(http://www.clydebankpost.co.uk/news/roundup/articles/2013/03/22/450852-mums-fears-after-benefits-stopped-/#.UU8H5_Kh6oM.twitter)

My letter to Labour MPs Michael Meacher, Tom Greatrex, and Julie Hilling: (http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1rjcsol)

Atos scandal: Benefits bosses admit over half of people ruled fit to work ended up destitute (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/atos-scandal-benefits-bosses-admit-1344278#.UTEpHYKiPYM.facebook)


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Samuel Miller
http://independent.academia.edu/SamuelMiller
http://socialwelfareunion.org/archives/2501
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/letter-to-the-icc-at-the-hague-re-mistreatment-of-the-disabled-and-sick
http://mikesivier.wordpress.com//?s=Samuel+Miller&search=Go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnHBfW0_u5A&feature=youtu.be
E-Mail: disabilityinliterature@gmail.com
Blog: Hephaestus: Disability Studies
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(Montreal, Canada)