Benefits bill leaps by £56m in West Midlands

The cost of benefits in the West Midlands jumped by almost £56 million last year, with some areas claiming more than twice as much as parts of the same borough.

The biggest increase was in Cannock Chase, where the bill soared from £58.1m to £73.8m, figures revealed today. Benefits cost £975 per voter in the constituency.

People received more than £1.33 billion in handouts in the Black Country, parts of Staffordshire and Wyre Forest in 2010/11 compared with £1.27bn the year before. The costs are working out to be more than £1,000 for every adult in some areas.

Claimants in Walsall North were given £92.6m in handouts, or £1,414 per adult, compared to £39m given to people in Aldridge and Brownhills.

In Wolverhampton South East the bill hit £86.2m in 2010/11, a rise of £15.2m on the year before. It works out at a cost of £1,396 per adult in Wolverhampton South East.

The Department for Work and Pensions figures cover jobseeker's allowance, income support incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, disability living allowance, carer's allowance, bereavement and widow's benefit and attendance allowance. They do not cover the costs of state pension, pension credit and winter fuel payments.