Dozens more new disability claims in Dacorum – as number doubles nationally

Dozens more people claimed disability benefits in Dacorum in July than a year earlier, research shows – as the number doubled across England and Wales.

The figures come as a shadow minister says the Government "can't ignore" the growing backlog in disability assessments.

Analysis of Department and Work and Pensions figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank shows the number of new claimants in Dacorum rose from 34 in July 2021 to 70 in July 2022.

The IFS said that worsening health was likely behind the rise and that there had been an increase across every age group, and for most major conditions.

Nationally, around a third of new claims were for mental or behavioural conditions, with the proportion rising to 70% among those aged under 25.

Sam Ray-Chaudhuri, a research economist at the organisation said: “Whatever the cause, significantly greater spending on disability benefits looks like it will be one of the consequences of this concerning trend.”

More recent figures show 4,750 were entitled to PIP in Dacorum as of July – putting them among 2.7 million people entitled to the benefit across England and Wales.

Poor health and a rise in the number of people with disabilities and long-term conditions may also be impacting the economy. The Office for National Statistics estimates that around 2.4 million people were out of work due to long-term illness across the UK between September and November.

While this was down from a peak of 2.5 million from July to September, it was up from the 2.3 million people out of work at the same point in 2021.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said this amounted to "a monumental waste of human potential".

“Helping people find appropriate and supportive work is good for them, good for society and good for the economy,” he said.

A DWP spokesperson said it is committed to ensuring people can access support "as quickly as possible".

They added: “We are constantly making improvements to our service by boosting resources and opening up assessments by phone and video. The latest statistics show clearance times have greatly improved, returning to pre-pandemic levels.”