Wealden had 2,320 claimants in September, up 9.7% in a year and the fastest rise in East Sussex for a third month. Crowborough St Johns is now the lowest ward.
Wealden had 2,320 people claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026. That is 205 more than a year earlier, a rise of 9.7%. (ONS claimant count via nomis)
It is the fastest rise of the five East Sussex districts for the third month running. Wealden still has the county’s lowest claimant rate, at 2.5% of residents aged 16 to 64.
Crowborough’s six wards had 250 claimants between them, up from 235 in August. One of them, Crowborough St Johns, now has the lowest rate of all 41 wards in the district.
Wealden against its neighbours
| Area | September 2025 | September 2026 | Change | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wealden | 2,115 | 2,320 | +9.7% | 2.5% |
| Hastings | 2,580 | 2,785 | +7.9% | 5.0% |
| Rother | 1,545 | 1,640 | +6.1% | 3.2% |
| Lewes | 1,970 | 2,065 | +4.8% | 3.6% |
| Eastbourne | 2,855 | 2,960 | +3.7% | 4.8% |
| East Sussex | 11,070 | 11,765 | +6.3% | 3.7% |
| South East | 179,185 | 186,430 | +4.0% | 3.1% |
| United Kingdom | 1,657,110 | 1,702,905 | +2.8% | 3.9% |
Source: ONS claimant count via nomis. Rate is claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64.
Over the year, 695 more people were claiming across East Sussex. Wealden accounts for 205 of them, about three in ten.
Across the 64 local authorities in the South East, three rose faster than Wealden:
- Runnymede, up 12.6%
- Mid Sussex, up 10.1%
- Elmbridge, up 9.9%
Woking (+9.6%) and Dartford (+9.2%) were just behind.
The highest count since early 2022, bar one month
Between August and September the Wealden count rose by 80, from 2,240 to 2,320. Only one month since February 2022 has been higher: March 2026, at 2,325.
The count is not seasonally adjusted, so a single month’s move can be noise. The year-on-year comparison, September against September, is the safer guide.
Young people and the over-50s are driving it
| Age band | Wealden, Sep 2025 | Wealden, Sep 2026 | Wealden change | UK change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | 355 | 420 | +18.3% | +10.6% |
| 25 to 49 | 1,200 | 1,250 | +4.2% | -0.6% |
| 50 and over | 560 | 645 | +15.2% | +4.8% |
Source: ONS claimant count via nomis. Age bands are counts; ONS does not publish a rate for them.
That is a change from August. Then, the rise was spread across every age group, including the 25 to 49s. In September, the middle band rose much more slowly. The youngest and oldest groups rose fastest, as they have nationally, but in Wealden both rose faster than the UK.
The figures do not say why. The claimant count records who is claiming, not the reason, and we have no source that explains the Wealden rise.
Crowborough ward by ward
| Ward | August 2026 | September 2026 | Share of 16 to 64s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crowborough St Johns | 15 | 15 | 0.9% |
| Crowborough Jarvis Brook | 40 | 40 | 1.5% |
| Crowborough South West | 35 | 35 | 1.8% |
| Crowborough North | 40 | 45 | 2.3% |
| Crowborough Central | 50 | 55 | 2.4% |
| Crowborough South East | 55 | 60 | 2.4% |
| Crowborough total | 235 | 250 |
Source: ONS claimant count via nomis, ward geography as of May 2025. Counts are rounded to the nearest five, so a move of five in one ward can be rounding alone.
All six wards are still below the district’s 2.5%. Crowborough St Johns, at 0.9%, is now the lowest in Wealden, just below Framfield and Cross-in-Hand at 1.2%. Its rounded count did not move, but its rate fell from 1.1%, because ONS works the rate out from the unrounded number.
In Uckfield, about eight miles south, the four wards had 220 claimants, up from 205. The district’s highest rate is still Hailsham East, at 5.8%. The ward series starts in January 2026, so there is no year-ago comparison by ward.
August’s figure has been revised down
When we reported the August figures on 27 September, ONS put Wealden at 2,275. The same month is now recorded as 2,240.
That is normal. The ONS method allows the Universal Credit part of the count to be revised for one previous month. September’s 2,320 may move in the same way when the October figures come out.
What the claimant count is, and is not
- It is not the unemployment rate. It counts people claiming benefits mainly for being unemployed.
- It includes some people in work. Under Universal Credit, people on low enough earnings can be required to look for more work, and they are counted.
- It is not seasonally adjusted. That is why the main comparisons above are September against September.
- The local figures are labelled “official statistics in development” by ONS, and every figure is rounded to the nearest five.
What it means for you
- If you are looking for work, the district picture is tighter than a year ago. There are 205 more people claiming across Wealden than last September.
- If you are 16 to 18 and out of education, work or training, the county’s Youth Employability Service is free and works one to one. East Sussex County Council lists wider employment and learning support.
- Crowborough’s own numbers remain low. The town’s 250 claimants are about one in nine of the district total, and every ward is below the district rate.
- You can check the figures yourself. The nomis dataset publishes them free each month, by ward and by age.
See also our Wealden house prices for July and our Crowborough council tax bands.
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