Last month, OnTheWight ran a Letter to the Editor, titled The devastating impact of benefit sanctions. It was penned by the future Mother-in-Law of a young Islander, concerned at how this young woman’s situation was being neglected by staff at Job Centre Plus.
In the letter, the writer explained how her son’s partner had been impacted by wrongful sanctions to her benefits.
Contact from JCP Customer Services
Following publication of the Letter, OnTheWight received a call from a senior member of staff at Hampshire and IW Health and Disability Customer Services at Job Centre Plus.
She’d read the article and was resolute that the incidents detailed in the Letter ‘should never have happened’. She requested we pass on her details to the writer of the letter in order that she may correct the problem as quickly as possible.
“Protecting reputation”
OnTheWight has recently been in touch with the writer of letter to see how things have progressed. Anticipating a positive response, we were saddened to hear,
“Not good, they stuck by the decision about the sanction. I actually felt all she was trying to do was protect the DWP from getting a bad name.
“That sanction was placed by employee error, but you cannot argue with these people.”
Rise in mental health patients
Just as worryingly, the writer went on to say,
“The mental health team are disgusted and actually said they are seeing more and more people due to present demands being placed upon them by the present Government.
“XXXX has now been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder caused firstly by the death of her Father, then the conditions she was forced to live under by the sanction.”
No light at the end of the tunnel
Asked whether she thought things could improve, the writer advised,
“I am afraid that under present legislation nothing will change and things can only get worse, as people on benefits certainly seem to regarded as the lowest form of society under this Government.”
Earlier this month, Lee Hodgson from the Citizens Advice Bureau reported the Isle of Wight has the highest problem in the South East with job centre sanctions.
Image: maellecaborderie under CC BY 2.0
