Windsor and Maidenhead is bucking the national trend for rising health-related benefit claims, new research has revealed.

The number of working-age people who claim health-related benefits has risen by 38% in four years, a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found.

While every local authority in England and Wales saw a rise in claims, according to the report, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead saw one of the smallest increases - at just one percent. 

Both Merthyr Tydfil and Blackpool saw an increase from 15% of people receiving health-related benefits to 19%.

By the end of the financial year in 2020, there were 2.8 million people in England and Wales claiming health benefits, this has now risen to 3.9 million in April 2024. 

The IFS said the increase is likely to cause a “fiscal headache” for the Government, with spending on health benefits up by £12 billion over the past four years.

IFS research economist Eduin Latimer said: "Two simple candidate explanations, that this is just driven by the pandemic or the cost-of-living crisis, are hard to square with the lack of similar trends elsewhere.

“It seems likely that these shocks have played a role, but it may be that they have an outsized effect in the UK, perhaps because of difficulties in accessing NHS treatments, or the relatively low level of basic unemployment support in the UK.

“The crucial point is that it is not yet known what factors are driving this increase.

“Figuring out what is behind the recent rise must surely be a top priority for the Government if it is going to be able to respond appropriately.”