1,560 people in the Bromsgrove district claimed jobless benefits in August, up 80 in a month and the most since November 2024. Charford is now on 6.4%.

1,560 people in the Bromsgrove district were claiming unemployment-related benefits in August 2026. That is 2.6 per cent of residents aged 16 to 64.

The figures were published by the Office for National Statistics on 16 September, through nomis.

The count rose by 80 in a month, from 1,480 in July. It is the highest monthly figure for the district since November 2024, when it was 1,605.

Part of the jump is a revision

The July figure has changed since it was first published. A month ago it read 1,520. It now reads 1,480.

So the rise looks bigger than it would have done on last month’s numbers. Against the July figure as first published, August is up 40. Against the revised figure, it is up 80.

Over the year, the change is smaller and does not depend on revisions. In August 2025 the district had 1,500 claimants, so the count is up 60, or 4.0 per cent.

Claimant count, Bromsgrove district, August 2025 to August 2026 Line chart of the monthly claimant count in the Bromsgrove district. August 2025 1,500; September 1,505; October 1,540; November 1,525; December 1,495; January 2026 1,525; February 1,555; March 1,540; April 1,520; May 1,460; June 1,495; July 1,480; August 1,560, the highest point in the chart. The vertical axis runs from 1,400 to 1,600, not from zero. Bromsgrove's claimant count jumped to 1,560 in August People claiming unemployment-related benefits, Bromsgrove district, by month. Axis starts at 1,400. 1,600 1,550 1,500 1,450 1,400 1,500 1,460 1,480 1,560 Aug 25SepOctNovDecJan 26FebMarAprMayJunJulAug 26 Source: ONS claimant count via nomis (NM_162_1), published 16 September 2026. Figures rounded to the nearest 5. Graphic by Bromsgrove News.

Every district in Worcestershire rose

August was not a Bromsgrove problem alone. All six Worcestershire districts recorded more claimants than in July, and Bromsgrove’s rise was the steepest in percentage terms.

District July 2026 August 2026 Change Rate
Bromsgrove 1,480 1,560 +80 (+5.4%) 2.6%
Malvern Hills 1,105 1,160 +55 (+5.0%) 2.5%
Wychavon 1,985 2,065 +80 (+4.0%) 2.6%
Redditch 2,050 2,130 +80 (+3.9%) 3.9%
Wyre Forest 1,975 2,045 +70 (+3.5%) 3.4%
Worcester 2,295 2,335 +40 (+1.7%) 3.4%
Worcestershire 10,890 11,295 +405 (+3.7%) 3.0%

The UK count rose 2.3 per cent over the same month, to 1,698,450.

Bromsgrove’s rate is still one of the lowest around. At 2.6 per cent it is below the county’s 3.0 per cent, the West Midlands region’s 5.3 per cent and the UK’s 3.9 per cent. Only Malvern Hills is lower in Worcestershire.

The rise was among the young and the over-50s

Age August 2025 July 2026 August 2026
16 to 24 280 300 325
25 to 49 865 785 825
50 and over 355 395 410

Over the year, the pattern from last month has held:

  • claimants aged 16 to 24 are up 45, or 16 per cent
  • claimants aged 50 and over are up 55, or 15.5 per cent
  • claimants aged 25 to 49 are down 40

Charford is now on 6.4 per cent

Split by ward, the gap across the district has widened. These are the wards with the highest share of working-age residents claiming in August:

  • Charford: 6.4 per cent, 140 people, up from 5.9 per cent in July
  • Tardebigge: 5.9 per cent, 135 people, up from 5.2 per cent
  • Sidemoor: 4.8 per cent, 125 people, unchanged
  • Catshill North: 4.2 per cent, 75 people
  • Sanders Park: 4.1 per cent, 80 people

At the other end, Marlbrook fell to 1.0 per cent. Lickey Hills, Slideslow and Wythall East are all on 1.1 per cent.

Charford and Tardebigge each added 15 claimants in the month, the most of any ward. Bromsgrove Central fell by 10.

Against England as a whole, Charford’s 6.4 per cent ranks among the highest 626 of 6,806 wards. The median English ward is on 2.7 per cent.

Ward figures are rounded to the nearest 5, so small wards move in steps. They added up to 1,470 in July against a district total of 1,480.

What it means for you

  • If you are looking for work, the local Jobcentre and the National Careers Service are free to use.
  • If you are under 25 or over 50, you are in the two groups where claims have risen over the year.
  • If you are reading the number as a verdict, wait a month. July was revised by 40, and August may be too.

The claimant count is not the unemployment rate. It counts people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, plus Universal Credit claimants who are required to look for work. Some people out of work do not claim, and some people who claim are in low-paid work.

Sources

  • ONS claimant count via nomis, dataset NM_162_1, for the district counts and rates from August 2025 to August 2026, the November 2024 figure, the six Worcestershire districts, the county, the West Midlands region and the UK, the age bands and the ward counts and rates, read on 17 September 2026. District figures are for the Bromsgrove district, ONS code E07000234; ward figures use the May 2025 wards.
  • ONS claimant count via nomis, England ward rates for August 2026, for the ranking of Charford and the median ward.
  • The first-published July 2026 figure of 1,520 is the one in our July report, read from nomis on 23 August 2026.

Figures read on 17 September 2026. The latest months can be revised.