Around 235,000 working-age adults in Greater Manchester are claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the main disability benefit, according to new data. This represents 10.1% of the region's working-age population.
Claimant numbers for England and Wales have surpassed four million for the first time, roughly doubling since 2019. PIP spending is forecast to exceed £41 billion by the end of the decade.
Constituency breakdown
Wythenshawe and Sale East has the highest proportion of PIP claimants in Greater Manchester and the 10th highest in the North West, with around one in eight working-age adults (13.5%) receiving the payment. More than two in five claimants in that constituency receive PIP for a psychiatric disorder (42.2%).
Blackley and Middleton South has the second-highest proportion (13.4%), followed closely by Bolton South and Walkden (12.3%).
Working-age adults are far more likely to claim PIP in the North and Wales than in London and the South of England. In the North West, around one in nine (10.7%) claim the benefit, compared with one in 15 in London (6.6%) and the South East (6.7%).
Psychiatric disorders drive rise
A major factor behind the rise is the growing number of people claiming PIP for disabling psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Figures from the House of Commons Library show psychiatric disorders are now the main reason for PIP payments in every parliamentary constituency in England and Wales.
Mental health conditions account for nearly two in five (39%) of all claims, with numbers more than doubling over the last six years. Musculoskeletal conditions, including chronic pain syndromes like fibromyalgia and degenerative diseases like arthritis, represent the second-largest category, followed by neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s.
Liverpool Walton has the highest proportion of claimants in England and Wales, with nearly one in five working-age adults (19.7%) receiving the payment. Across England and Wales as a whole, the average stands at around one in 12 working-age adults (8.6%).
Clarkson controversy and review
The figures come after broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson faced backlash for claiming young people could receive up to £194 per week “if they’ve got ants in their pants, or ADHD as it is now called, or some other head-based issue with an acronym”. His comments followed a Times report showing more than 87,000 16- and 17-year-olds claim PIP, with over two-thirds receiving the higher rate of £194 a week for mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions such as anxiety and ADHD.
Mr Clarkson suggested the payout was £100 more than working a part-time shop job, arguing claimants should be made to send a weekly "thank you" email to taxpayers. However, PIP is designed as an extra-cost benefit rather than an income replacement. It is non-means-tested, and eligibility depends on how a health condition impacts daily living and mobility, regardless of whether the claimant is employed. In many cases, the payments cover essential costs such as adapted transport, specialist equipment, and personal care that enable disabled people to remain in employment.
Despite this, an independent review of disability benefits recently concluded the current system is “no longer fit for purpose”. The Timms Review found the PIP application and assessment process causes severe distress, with applicants describing a system that “breaks” them rather than encouraging independence. The review noted that onerous reassessments cause mental and physical exhaustion, forcing some disabled people to withdraw from work or social life.
Led by disability minister Sir Stephen Timms, the review was launched last year in response to backbench Labour opposition to proposed benefit cuts. A final report is due next year.
In a recent interview, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he planned to bring “substantial change” to the social care system. While committing to reduce the national welfare bill, Mr Burnham told the BBC he would not "go straight to blaming those people" who rely on support. He said: “What I would say is that there are people in the benefits system, young people in their 20s, who have been, I would say, quite seriously let down because the support wasn’t there for them when it should have been there.”
Asked whether current claimants could face reduced or removed benefits, Mr Burnham advocated making support conditional on taking up available opportunities. He added: “I think it’s a good thing that the Government has given guarantees of opportunities for young people. Where mental health support is needed, for instance, it should be provided in work to support people in an opportunity.”
