The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is facing calls to block Universal Credit payments for 662,000 claimants under the age of 30 as part of a crackdown on welfare dependency. New data has identified 41 areas across the UK where more than one in ten young people are signed off work without any obligation to find a job, prompting critics to label them as the nation's so-called 'shirker's capitals'.
Key Statistics
Approximately 662,000 individuals aged 18 to 29 are currently claiming Universal Credit, receiving up to £420 per month. When including those under 30, the total number of people not working due to health conditions stands at 2.8 million, an increase of 800,000 compared to 2019. The figures have sparked a debate about the effectiveness of the welfare system in supporting recovery and return to work.
Expert Opinions
Dr Charlotte Refsu, a former GP and director of health policy at the Institute, commented: 'The system is drawing too many people into long-term dependency for conditions that are often treatable and compatible with work, and not doing enough to support recovery. Clarity about what isn't a work-limiting condition ensures people get the treatment and support they need. A system that leaves people on benefits without timely treatment or a route back to work is not compassionate – it is bad for the country and bad for people's health.'
Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith added that many depression and anxiety claims 'can be resolved by getting to work, and finding something to do'. He stated: 'The whole system's still mad.'
Government Response
The DWP has defended its approach, noting that it is spending £2.5 billion to deliver 'one million opportunities' for young people to 'shift from a welfare to working state'.
Top 10 'Shirker's Capitals'
The areas with the highest proportion of under-30s on Universal Credit without work requirements are:
- Hartlepool (2,087, 15.4%)
- Blackpool (2,696, 14.3%)
- Thanet (2,232, 13.7%)
- Redcar and Cleveland (2,245, 13.5%)
- North East Lincolnshire (2,632, 13.4%)
- Rotherham (4,820, 13.2%)
- West Dunbartonshire (1,508, 12.9%)
- North Ayrshire (2,054, 12.6%)
- Great Yarmouth (1,494, 12.4%)
- Knowsley (2,747, 12.2%)
The data has intensified calls for welfare reform, with policymakers urged to ensure that benefits are targeted at those who genuinely cannot work while encouraging others to seek employment.
