The UK Government's first cost of living payment is being denied to some people claiming universal credit. The Department for Work and Pensions paid a £326 cost of living payment to millions of people on low incomes last month as part of a major support package aimed at helping those hardest hit by the cost of living crisis.
More than seven million eligible claimants received the benefit between July 14 and 31, with prime minister Boris Johnson saying the lump sum would show struggling households “we are on their side”. However it has been revealed that universal credits who have received a sanction at the JobCentre are being denied the payment, the Mirror reports.
Guidance to DWP staff said people whose universal credit was stopped entirely due to a sanction in a “qualifying period” - which lasted a month earlier this spring - “will not be entitled to a cost of living payment”. This is called a “nil award”. It means anyone who received a sanction during this period may have been refused payment even if they were otherwise eligible.
