The number of people in West Dunbartonshire having their benefits sanctioned has doubled since before the pandemic.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show 164 people on Universal Credit (UC) across the area were carrying a sanction in February. That was 4.7 percent of claimants, and up from 82 (three percent) in the same month of 2020, pre-pandemic.
Reasons for people having their benefits reduced include not attending a work-related interview, failing to start a new role, or refusing a job offer.
