Figures reveal doubling in number of Universal Credit recipients in Coventry
Personal Independence Payments also have risen sharply over five years
Last updated 23rd Oct 2026
Figures for benefit claims in Coventry over the past five years show total benefit payouts for Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) have more than doubled.
According to a welfare map created by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, the total paid in PIP to people in Coventry has risen by 103.8 per cent in five years and the amount paid in Universal Credit across the city has increased by 125.8 per cent.
Of those claiming Universal Credit, many are exempt from working. A payment top-up for ‘limited capability for work and work-related activity’ (LCWRA) is given to those who are found medically unfit for work, and the number claiming this element in Coventry is nearly five times higher (a 389.6 per cent rise) than five years before.
Coventry’s total benefits bill now sits at almost £900million, having risen by almost two-thirds (64.9 per cent) over the past five years.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Welfare spending has spiralled out of control and politicians, worried about their poll ratings, have resisted spending restraint at every turn.
“Enough is enough. Politicians must cut this welfare bill, including by restricting who can claim and capping how much they can get, if they want to restore any semblance of taxpayers’ trust in the welfare system.”
The five-year figures cover a period since the year lockdown ended, when the Conservatives were still in Government, through the 2024 General Election when Labour took power and up to now, when Andy Burnham is planning a new attempt at welfare reforms.
Just before the election, the then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride had announced plans to overhaul PIP, with options on the table including replacing cash payments with vouchers. The party was voted out of power before this could progress further.
Attempts by Labour to restrict PIP were last year blocked by backbenchers. But a review of the benefit by social security minister Stephen Timms is set to unveil a new raft of recommendations. A final report on youth unemployment by former health secretary Alan Milburn is also due soon.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden are expected to announce renewed attempts at welfare reforms later this year.
Locally, the One Coventry Plan – which sets out the council’s vision and priorities up to 2030 – noted that unemployment in the city remains higher than national and regional averages, with 14,025 working-age residents, or 5.8 per cent, claiming unemployment benefits in June 2026 (up from 13,675 in June 2025), compared with four per cent across England overall.
Youth unemployment is still an issue, the report noted. In June 2025, youth claimants aged 18 to 24 in Coventry amounted to 2,500 and this has increased notably, by more than it has among other age groups, reaching 2,840 in June 2026.
The number of young people aged 16 to 18 who are not in education, employment or training has also increased. While Coventry fares better than much of the region, the position is of national concern across the age group as a whole, the council says.
Skills levels are improving overall, with 45 per cent of working-age residents holding higher-level qualifications by 2025, similar to the national average. This enables people to gain access to higher-skilled employment opportunities. However, 11 per cent of working-age residents in Coventry have no qualifications at all, which is nearly double the national rate.
Labour-run Coventry City Council has not responded to requests for comment on the TaxPayers’ Alliance figures.
But the council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, Cllr Lynnette Kelly, previously said the authority was determined to create good quality jobs for its citizens, which is why it wanted to open up the Coventry Airport development site to other businesses rather than stick to the original concept of a huge gigafactory for one battery manufacturer.
A shortage in local land for employment has been identified, leading to councillors refusing an application for housing on Westwood Business Park. They said this would be an ideal location for business instead of looking to the green belt to fulfil employment targets.