2,425 Spelthorne residents were on the claimant count in September, up 70 in a month and the most in any September since 2020. Under-25s rose a fifth.
2,425 people in Spelthorne were on the claimant count in September, 3.6 per cent of residents aged 16 to 64. That is up 70 on August.
It is the highest September figure in the borough since 2020, when the pandemic pushed the count to 3,450. It is also just short of this year’s high of 2,435 in May.
The Office for National Statistics published the figures on Tuesday 20 October through Nomis. They are the newest available.
Younger claimants are rising fastest
Compared with September 2025, the count is up 165, from 2,260. Most of that increase is at either end of the working age range:
| Age | September 2025 | September 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 24 | 350 | 430 | +80 |
| 25 to 49 | 1,380 | 1,390 | +10 |
| 50 and over | 525 | 610 | +85 |
The number of claimants aged 18 to 24 is up by more than a fifth in a year. In August we reported that people in their fifties and sixties were driving the rise. Both groups are now growing, while the count for people aged 25 to 49 has barely moved.
Still the highest rate in Surrey
Spelthorne’s 3.6 per cent is the highest of Surrey’s eleven districts again. The next highest is Woking on 2.8 per cent and Runnymede on 2.6 per cent. Surrey as a whole is on 2.4 per cent, the South East 3.1 per cent, England 4.1 per cent and the United Kingdom 3.9 per cent.
The wards
Sunbury Common, on 5.1 per cent, has the second highest rate of Surrey’s 172 wards, behind only Canalside in Woking on 5.2 per cent. Stanwell North is fourth and Staines ward seventh.
| Ward | Claimants | Rate | Rank of 172 Surrey wards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunbury Common | 290 | 5.1% | 2nd |
| Stanwell North | 305 | 4.9% | 4th |
| Staines | 315 | 4.5% | 7th |
| Ashford Town | 235 | 4.3% | joint 8th |
| Staines South | 190 | 4.2% | 10th |
| Ashford North and Stanwell South | 245 | 3.7% | joint 15th |
| Ashford East | 145 | 3.0% | 32nd |
| Laleham and Shepperton Green | 145 | 2.8% | joint 36th |
| Halliford and Sunbury West | 100 | 2.7% | joint 40th |
| Sunbury East | 130 | 2.7% | joint 40th |
| Ashford Common | 145 | 2.6% | joint 51st |
| Shepperton Town | 90 | 2.4% | joint 67th |
| Riverside and Laleham | 90 | 2.2% | joint 85th |
Staines ward still has the most claimants in the borough, 315, up ten on August. Staines South saw the biggest monthly rise of any ward, from 175 to 190.
August has been revised down
We reported last month that 2,400 people were on the count in August. The ONS has since revised that to 2,355. Its rules allow the previous month to be revised as late claims are processed. The 70 rise this month is measured against the revised figure.
What it means for you
- The count is not an unemployment rate. It counts people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, plus Universal Credit claimants who are required to look for work. Some of them are in low-paid work.
- If you are 18 to 24 and looking for work, the Jobcentre Plus in Staines is the place to ask about the DWP’s support for young people. GOV.UK explains how to contact Jobcentre Plus.
- If you are struggling with costs, our council tax page explains Spelthorne’s council tax reduction scheme, and the changes proposed for April 2027 in our report on the West Surrey consultation.
Ward and age figures are rounded to the nearest five, so the age bands add up to a slightly different total. The thirteen wards sum to 2,425, the borough total.
Sources
- ONS claimant count via Nomis, dataset NM_162_1, updated 20 October 2026, for every figure on this page. Borough series for Spelthorne (E07000213), age bands, Surrey districts, and all 172 Surrey wards.
- ONS Claimant Count Quality and Methodology Information for what the count measures and for the revisions rule.
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