The rise of the suburban mental health sicknote: Every part of Britain sees a rises in incapacity benefit claims - with some of the largest increases in affluent commuter belt towns - see how many have been made in YOUR area

Every parliamentary constituency in Britain saw a rise in incapacity benefit claims last year – with some of the largest increases driven by a surge in mental health problems in affluent areas.

Analysis of DWP data showed that while the highest number of claims in 2023 were made in urban and post-industrial areas, some leafy suburban commuter belt towns around London and other large cities saw claims increase by more than a third.

They include constituencies with Tory MPs including Tonbridge & Malling in Kent, Basingstoke in Hampshire and Hexham in Northumberland.

Claims are up by at least 10 per cent in every one of the 650 Westminster seats, the analysis by Labour, first reported by the Times, has found.

Last month it emerged that 2.8million people have left the workforce due to long-term sickness – the most since the 1990s. Mental health problems affect more than a third of 16 to 34-year-olds out of work due to long-term illness and account for 69 per cent of all medical claims.

It comes as the government tries to get on the front foot with efforts to cut waiting lists for NHS treatment.

Earlier this week the Work and Pensions Secretary said Britons must revert to the ‘old-fashioned belief’ that work is good for you.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride (pictured) said the nation’s approach to tackling mental health issues may have ‘gone too far’

Mel Stride claimed the nation’s approach to tackling mental health issues may have ‘gone too far’, suggested the regular ‘ups-and-downs of life’ should not be ‘labelled’ or ‘medicalised’.

The minister said welfare reforms would ensure the Government could ‘break the cycle of people going to see their GP and ending up parked on benefits through time’.

‘Perhaps it’s an old-fashioned belief – but I think it’s one that needs to come back into fashion – is that work is good for you,’ he told Radio 4’s Today programme.

‘Work is good for your mental health. Getting up in the morning, having a sense of purpose, interacting with other people in the workplace, having that conversation by the watercooler or whatever it may be, is good for our mental health.

‘My mission is to get as many people into work as possible, and I care the most about those who can benefit from work in the way that I’ve described.’

But Alison McGovern, the acting shadow work and pensions secretary, said: ‘One of the reasons that the Tories have failed on the economy is because they have failed on work.

‘On the Tories watch, millions of people across the country are stuck on mental health waiting lists or locked out of work due to long term sickness at huge cost to them, to business and to the taxpayer too.

‘The Tories cannot be the change from their own failings. Labour’s plan will tackle the root causes of economic inactivity by driving down NHS waiting lists, making work pay, and supporting people into good jobs across every part of the country.’

It comes as new figures revealed the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has fallen for the fifth month in a row, figures show.

An estimated 7.54 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of February, relating to 6.29 million patients, down slightly from 7.58 million treatments and 6.29 million patients at the end of January, NHS England said.

The list hit a record high in September 2023 with 7.77 million treatments and 6.50 million patients.

A total of 305,050 people in England had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of February, down from 321,394 at the end of January.

The Government and NHS England have set the ambition of eliminating all waits of more than a year by March 2025.

A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman said: ‘We are building on our strong employment record with our £2.5 billion back to work plan which will help over a million people, including those with disabilities and long-term health conditions to break down barriers to work.

‘Our landmark welfare reforms will cut the number of people due to be put onto the highest tier of incapacity benefits by over 370,000.’

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