SPAN, together with a number of other high profile charities, had a letter to the editor published in The Times on 24 July 2014. Together we raise our concerns about the impact of benefit sanctions on families and the fairness of decisions being made.
The letter reads:
Sir. We are pleased the government has accepted the recommendations in the Independent review of jobseeker’s allowance sanctions. However, now we must tackle the rapid increase in people being sanctioned; the impact of sanctions on claimants and their families; their effectiveness in getting people to work; and the fairness and consistency of their application.
It is clear that the sanctions regime does not work; not for the government, not for the labour market, and not for claimants. The system is unfair and, in many cases, counterproductive.
The review’s remit was to limited. The government had indicated that a broader review would be ordered, and we urge Ian Duncan Smith to act.
Geraldine Blake, Community Links
Alison Garnham, CPAG
Denise Hatton, YMCA England
Rick Henderson, Homeless Link
Joanna Kennedy, Zachareus 2000 Trust
Leslie Morphy, Crisis
Robert Pitts, SPAN
Helen Robinson, The Salvation Army
Howard Sinclair, St Mungo’s Broadway
Fiona Weir, Gingerbread