45-day DWP warning if you miss a Jobcentre appointment

A Job Centre Plus office (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Benefits claimants being sanctioned by the Department for Work and Pensions now face seeing their benefits reduced for an average of 45 days, according to the latest figures. The average sanction period imposed by the DWP in 2023 is up from 38 days in 2019, reports The Big Issue.

In 2019 6% of sanctions lasted more than six months., That has now risen to 10% in the latest figures. People who claim benefits see their payments cut or reduced if they fail to follow conditions – most often that means missing or being late to meetings at the Jobcentre.

Dr David Webster of the University of Glasgow said: “Not only have the numbers of sanctions more than doubled since the pandemic; they have also become a lot harsher.”

Dr Webster said sanctions are getting longer because the DWP now uses ‘open-ended’ sanction periods, in place until claimants comply with requirements.

He told Big Issue: “It seems likely that it has become harder for claimants to demonstrate compliance because Jobcentre staff are overworked.”

He said around half of claimants sanctioned have to apply for a hardship payment to pay bills and buy food – then have to pay that back after their sanction ends.

A DWP spokesperson said: “People are only ever sanctioned if they fail to meet the conditions they agree to without good reason and almost 95% of sanctions in the last quarter were due to claimants not attending a mandatory work-focused interview. These types of sanctions can be quickly concluded by the claimant attending a replacement interview.

“Our sanctions are designed to help people on their journey into work and almost three-quarters of claimants agree that the potential for sanctions meant they were more likely to engage with their work search.

“Safeguards are in place when claimants demonstrate they cannot meet their essential needs as a result of a sanction, and we continue to help the most vulnerable with £3,700 per household in cost-of-living support.”