Universal Credit Claimants

This chart shows the percentage of working age adults in Buckinghamshire who claim Universal Credit, a benefit that is available to people who are out-of-work, and also those who work but are on a low income. The data is published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Households are eligible for Universal Credit for a variety of reasons, but the core criteria is having £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments. Claimants receive a single monthly household payment, which is paid into a bank account. They may also receive support with housing costs which are usually paid directly as part of a person’s monthly Universal Credit payment.

The percentage of working age adults claiming Universal Credit is a useful proxy indicator for how many low income households there are in Buckinghamshire and where these households are distributed geographically.  However, it can only be considered a proxy of low income households because there will be some low income households who are eligible for support but have not applied. The benchmarks in the graph suggest that a lower proportion of working age people in Buckinghamshire claim Universal Credit, compared to the average in the South East of England (11.1%), but that there are many wards with high levels of people claiming Universal Credit.