Sunderland, Hartlepool and South Tyneside rank among the top ten local authorities in England and Wales to have the most Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants
00:00The number of people here in the north-east claiming personal independent payments has surged in recent years, with new data revealing the region is home to some of the highest claimant rates in England and Wales.
00:13The rise comes as the government confirms a scaled-back package of reforms to health and disability benefits. Reforms that, despite concessions, could still leave an estimated 150,000 more people in relative poverty by the end of the decade.
00:28A new benefits dashboard published by the Taxpayers Alliance paints a stark picture of the growing reliance on PIP across the country, particularly in areas that are post-industrial and economically deprived, such as the north-east.
00:43Hartlepool, Sunderland and South Tyneside rank among the top ten local authority areas in England and Wales for the number of PIP claimants per 1,000 people.
00:52In Hartlepool, nearly one in five residents, or 187 per 1,000, currently receive PIP. Sunderland and South Tyneside both record 173 per 1,000, well above the national average of 97.
01:07Across the region, there were over 242,000 people that were claiming PIP in April 2025, an average of 147 per 1,000 people.
01:16This has increased by 89 per cent since January 2019. The figures reflect a broader trend across the north-east, where long-term health conditions, including mental health disorders and mobility issues, that continue to drive up demand for support.
01:31According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, around 4 million working-age adults in England and Wales now receive either PIP or a health-related component of universal credit, up from 3 million in 2019.
01:44That means 1 in 10 working-age people are receiving health or disability benefits, compared to 1 in just 13 six years ago.
01:51Mental health conditions have been a major contributor to this increase. By 2024, mental and behavioural disorders made up 44 per cent of all claims, with young adults, especially those aged 25, making up a growing proportion of new recipients.
02:08Despite these rising numbers, the government has confirmed that planned changes to PIP will now apply only to new claimants from November 2026, following pressure from Labour MPs and disability-right groups.
02:20Working Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall also announced that payments to current recipients of the health-related element of universal credit will no longer be frozen, marking a significant softening of the original reform proposals.
02:35But what do locals think about the spike in PIP claims?
02:38I presume the increase is due to better diagnosis and better understanding of general issues.
02:48As for whether the taxpayers pay for them, I mean, I suppose the purpose of tax, in my view, is to support others who can't support themselves, as well as critical infrastructure and other sorts of things like that.
