10.5.1 The benefits system provides some practical help and financial support for people who are unemployed, low earners, bringing up children, retired, caring for other people or who are ill or have a disability. For fact sheets about types of benefits see Web Link.
10.5.2 Just over 1.6 million people in the South West are in receipt of one or more benefit, about 31% of the total regional population. This is a slightly higher proportion than for England as a whole (29%) and the fourth highest among the 9 English regions.
10.5.3 Of the 1.6 million people claiming benefits in the South West over 1.1 million are in receipt of the state pension. At 22% of the total population this is the highest proportion of any region and reflects the region’s older age profile. This is also reflected within the region where those areas with the greatest proportion of their total population receiving benefits (including the state pension) tend to be those with the highest proportions of older people because the majority of benefit claimants are of this age.
10.5.4 Around 800,000 people in the South West are claiming benefits other than, or in addition to, the state pension. This is just over 15% of the total population and the third lowest proportion among the regions (behind the South East, and the East of England). Just over 415,000 of these claimants are of working age, just over 13% of the South West population in this age group. This is also the third lowest proportion among the English regions and is below the level for England as a whole (16%).
10.5.5 The district and unitary authorities with the highest percentage of working age people claiming one or more benefit are mainly, although not exclusively, in the south of the region – Torbay (22%), Plymouth (18%), Weymouth & Portland (18%), Plymouth (18%), Bournemouth (17%), Cornwall (16%), and Gloucester (16%).
Figure 10.5.1 Proportion of Working Age Population Claiming One or More Benefit (May 2010)
10.5.6 Other than the state pension, the benefit group with the highest number of recipients in the region is the Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance. 4.5% and 3.2% respectively of the South West
population receive these benefits, (compared to 5.0% and 2.6% nationally). For each benefit that is not specifically for people of pension age and over the South West has the equivalent or smaller proportion of recipients than England as a whole.
Table 10.5.1 South West Recipients of Benefits May 2010
| Benefit |
South West Caseload |
% of total South West Population |
% of total England Population |
| State Pension |
1,168,000 |
0.223 |
0.188 |
| Disability Living Allowance / Attendance Allowance Total |
401,950 |
7.7% |
7.6% |
-
Disability Living Allowance - cases in payment
|
236,360 |
4.5% |
5.0% |
|
|
165,590 |
3.2% |
2.6% |
| Pension Credit - number of beneficiaries |
280,000 |
5.4% |
5.4% |
-
Number of Pension claimants - Total
|
227,070 |
4.3% |
4.4% |
-
Number of Pension claimants with Partner
|
52,930 |
1.0% |
1.0% |
| Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disablement Allowance |
159,360 |
3.0% |
3.3% |
| Employment & Support Allowance |
37,450 |
0.7% |
0.8% |
| Income Support |
126,960 |
2.4% |
3.0% |
| Carers Allowance - Entitled cases |
76,500 |
1.5 |
1.6 |
-
Carers Allowance - cases in payment
|
38,440 |
0.7 |
0.9 |
-
Carers Allowance - Entitled cases not in payment
|
38,060 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
| Jobseeker"s Allowance |
77,270 |
1.5 |
2.2 |
| Widow"s Benefit |
3,380 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
| Bereavement Benefit |
5,000
|
0.1 |
0.1 |
| Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pension Longitudinal Study. DWP Tabulation Tool |
10.5.7 In recent years, the number of South West recipients of most different types of benefits has risen at a faster rate than the number in England as a whole. Between May 2008 and May 2010, the largest numerical increases in the region were in the number of recipients of the Jobseeker’s Allowance, State Pension, and Disability-related Allowances. The largest percentage increases were in the number of recipients of the Jobseeker’s Allowance (a significant expansion of this client group at 94.2%), Carer’s Allowance (up 10.4%) and Disability-related Allowances (up 8.4%).
