Friday, December 20, 2013

Benefit Sanctions - Independent Inquiry


Please circulate far and wide

I have started a national campaign for an independent inquiry into Benefit Sanctions. We know that Job Centre staff are under significant pressure to sanction claimants for any trivial reason leaving people with no money to live on. The truth is as CAB have confirmed is that Job Centre staffs performance is measured partly by sanctions. They have increased by hundreds of thousands per year nationally. We know sanctions is one of the main causes of the increased use of food banks. The call for an independent inquiry is supported by Church Action on Poverty, Child Poverty Action Group and The Trussell Trust. My petition is just one step to highlight this injustice. There are even reports that Job Centre staff have falsified records to support sanctioning claimants.

I am happy to discuss further with folk about this. I am an avid supporter of the welfare state. I am an ex DWP worker of 13 years and I am ashamed of my past association with DWP on how they have become the lapdogs of the government of the day.

Petition link - epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/58217

Thank you Mike