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Employment: Advisory Services

Asked by Helen WhatelyConservativeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 20 October 2025UIN 78358

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work coaches there are per (a) capita and (b) Universal Credit claimant in (i) England and (ii) each region.

Answered by Dame Diana Johnson

The requested work coach data for England has been provided at district level. Pure English regional data is unavailable as some English regions are combined with Scotland and Wales for Universal Credit administration purposes.

Information on numbers of Universal Credit claimants by region can be obtained from DWP’s Stat Xplore tool Stat XPlore

Population estimates are published by the Office for National Statistics and can be found at Population estimates - Office for National Statistics

ENGLAND DISTRICTS

FTE

AVON, SOMERSET & GLOUCESTERSHIRE

400

BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE & OXFORDSHIRE

390

BIRMINGHAM & SOLIHULL

710

BLACK COUNTRY & COVENTRY

620

CHESHIRE & LANCASHIRE

580

CUMBRIA & TEES

300

DEVON & CORNWALL

340

DORSET WILTSHIRE HAMPSHIRE & ISLE OF WIGHT

660

EAST LONDON

860

EAST MIDLANDS

550

ESSEX

400

GREATER MANCHESTER

960

HERTFORDSHIRE

210

KENT

420

LEICESTERSHIRE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE & RUTLAND

440

MERSEYSIDE

450

NORFOLK & SUFFOLK

320

NORTH & MID WALES AND THE MARCHES

130

NORTH EAST YORKSHIRE & LINCOLNSHIRE

520

NORTH LONDON

640

NORTHUMBERLAND, DURHAM, TYNE & WEAR

500

SOUTH LONDON

900

SOUTH MIDLANDS

450

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

380

SURREY & SUSSEX

500

THE SHIRES

500

WEST LONDON

850

WEST YORKSHIRE

760

ENGLAND TOTAL

14,730

Notes:

  • Work Coach Full Time Equivalent (FTE) data supplied is from September 2025.
  • The number of Work Coaches has been derived from DWP's Activity Based Model (ABM). This model gives an estimated FTE based on a point in time estimate by Line Managers, as recorded on our internal systems each month.
  • Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 FTE.
  • The number of Work Coaches refers to staff involved in conducting regular engagement with claimants, hence the data does not include Work Coach Team Leaders or Disability Employment Advisers.
  • Work coaches include both UC Full-Service Work Coaches and Existing Benefits Work Coaches.
  • The number of staff employed is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.

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