3,335 people in Basingstoke and Deane claimed out-of-work benefits in September, the most since October 2021. Under-25 claims are up 19% in a year.
3,335 people in Basingstoke and Deane were claiming benefits principally because they are out of work in September. That is the highest monthly figure for the borough since October 2021, when the count stood at 3,390.
The figures are the Office for National Statistics’ claimant count, published through nomis. September’s total is up 65 on August and up 195 on September last year, a rise of 6.2 per cent. It equals 2.7 per cent of residents aged 16 to 64.
Most of the rise is under-25s
| Age | Sep 2025 | Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | 630 | 750 | +120 (+19.0%) |
| 25 to 49 | 1,780 | 1,795 | +15 (+0.8%) |
| 50 and over | 730 | 785 | +55 (+7.5%) |
| All ages | 3,140 | 3,335 | +195 (+6.2%) |
Under-25s account for 120 of the 195 extra claimants. The 750 in that age group is the highest count since June 2021, and they now make up 22.5 per cent of all claimants in the borough.
The 25 to 49 band, more than half of the total, barely moved. The over-50s rose by 55.
Across the South East, the claimant count rose 4.0 per cent on the year and the under-25 count 12.8 per cent. Basingstoke and Deane is rising faster on both.
How it compares
Before the pandemic, in September 2019, the borough had 1,785 claimants. This September’s figure is 87 per cent higher. The count jumped to 4,810 in September 2020, fell to 2,875 by September 2022 and has crept up since.
Basingstoke and Deane also has a higher rate than its neighbours. As a share of residents aged 16 to 64 in September:
| Area | Claimants | Share of 16-64s |
|---|---|---|
| Basingstoke and Deane | 3,335 | 2.7% |
| West Berkshire | 2,455 | 2.4% |
| Test Valley | 1,610 | 2.0% |
| Winchester | 1,670 | 2.0% |
| Hart | 1,090 | 1.7% |
| South East | 186,430 | 3.1% |
| England and Wales | 1,559,915 | 4.0% |
So the borough is below the regional and national rates, but above every council area around it.
August’s figure was revised down
We reported last month that August’s count was 3,325, the highest since September 2021. That was the figure first published. The ONS has since revised August to 3,270, and the under-25 figure for August from 740 to 735. The latest month’s count is provisional and can be revised, so September’s 3,335 may move too. Our August story now carries a note.
What it means for you
- The claimant count is not the unemployment rate. It counts people on Jobseeker’s Allowance and those on Universal Credit who are required to look for work. Some people in work on low pay are included.
- House prices and rents are on our Basingstoke house prices page, and council tax on our council tax bands page.
How we did this: all figures are the ONS claimant count for Basingstoke and Deane (E07000084) from nomis table NM_162_1, not seasonally adjusted, read on 23 October 2026. Neighbouring areas and the South East come from the same table for the same month.
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