Universal Credit: Open ended sanctions?

[florarichomega3]

ok so, I'm on Universal Credit, I cannot claim housing benefit due to my rent arrangement. I am really skint but have skills that should get me work, I just need to update them.
Its software I used to be a hot shot freelancer on, but they are now a bit old news, I have the work history but need to learn the new methods and software now used.
I get regular emails form recruitment companies with jobs I will be eligible for once I have updated my skillset.

I signed up for a google course to learn the skills and was cracking ahead with it. However, universal credit put me forward to some crappy 'restart scheme', I looked into it and it is a total nightmare.
i started completing the requested tasks and series of forms and 'back to work positiviy' bs but realised it was a total sack of sh*t and I should be concentrating on my actual course that will get me into well paid work.
So I explained to the restart coach and they totally understood my reasoning but said they did not have the authority to cancel my sessions with them and I need to contact the Universal Credit \work couch.
I explained my position to my work coach but he said as part of the agreement I must do as he says or I am breaking the agreement.

I added messages to the 'online journal' explaining that I was taking the best route to find long term work, but the work couch twisted it around to ''i will not comply' and I've been sent an open ended sanction (10.6 a day) until I comply and attend the restart scheme.

i am so against the restart scheme I would and should have just closed my Universal Credit claim rather than get caught up in all this sanction nonsense. But anyway I am now sanctioned but wondering what would happen if I was to close my Universal Credit account. I cannot pay the rent so am looking at moving away, but I am worried if down the line say in 6 months time I was to re-apply to universal credit in a new location, would this open ended sanction still be sat looming over me. I am also worried that it is already going to be backdated and they will be claiming money back from me.


Help appreciated. Was feeling quite positive but the language used on the letters they sent is so horrible, it really feels nasty, all about complying and "We have received the decision from the Decision Maker regarding your failure to participate " - Sounds like the script from some sci fi prison guard.

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

They do behave like complete bastards. It's a real pain, and quite time consuming, but worth fighting their decision. First, ask officially for a mandatory reconsideration of the decision. A small percentage of decisions get reversed at this stage. It costs you nothing apart from your time. Second, if you are unsuccessful then appeal to a tribunal. A huge percentage of people who appeal are successful. BUT you will have to go along with what they say in the meantime and cooperate with their restart scheme. Do as little as you need to comply, but if you don't they can sanction you further.

This whole process can take yonks, but if you are successful your payments will be backdated.

I helped out some relatives with employment allowance and personal independence payments. In one case the mandatory reconsideration was successful after a couple of months. In two other cases the appeals were successful, after a year in each case.

Perseverance needed, I'm afraid. Citizens Advice may help out. Look on their website anyway.

Good Luck

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I'm too long away from working in benefits to have much in the way of specific advice, but would agree with what Kevbad the Bad has said.

The system is now geared towards being a benefits denial process, not a benefit paying process. The language they use reflects that, and the way that DWP staff are 'performance managed' to behave.

Broadly speaking, not going along with whatever hoops they want you to jump through (however daft) is not likely to go well. There have been situations where people have been doing part time voluntary work in a field connected with the sort of work they are looking for who have been forced to give that up and go and do unpaid shelf stacking 'work experience' or get sanctioned.

Benefits and Work site is aimed more towards people with disabilities / long term health issues, but has some pages about the 'mandatory review' stage (and suggests that it's fairly pointless but you have to go through with this to go to a proper tribunal)

Turn2us is also worth a look.

It used to be the case (bearing in mind I'm some way out of date) that if you got sanctioned off unemployment benefit, there was the possibility of claiming a 'hardship payment' which was even less money, but still something. I gather that the DWP staff try fairly hard not to tell you about that now, but may be worth investigating.

I don't think they can make a 'sanction' retrospective (in terms of money you have already had) although they can claim back 'overpayments' (for example if you fail to tell them of a change of circumstances and carry on getting benefits when you're not entitled to them) from future benefits or as a civil debt.

Housing benefit used to be my thing, and I'm not sure how much the rules have changed now it's the housing bit of UC, but HB didn't used to be all or nothing, and could be paid for things like house shares (although you occasionally had to prove that it was a house share rather than 'co-habiting' with a partner or if you were a lodger (even if you were lodging in the spare room of someone who rented their house / flat.)

You would still need something on paper from landlord, even if it wasn't a formal tenancy agreement. Turn2Us has more on the housing bit of UC, and again you sometimes need to argue if you get an initial 'no' from the computer.

 

[Cado]

POLICE POLICE POLICE - Harass them, complain to them, never stay away from the public counter till they;re actually doing the job the thieve tax to do - the Police that is.

Sanctioning you is conspiracy to murder- otherwise they wouldn't bother.