More than £1.5 billion is set to be spent on welfare benefits across East Lancashire this year, with the amount paid out rising sharply in every borough over the past two years.
New figures from the Taxpayers Alliance for 2025/26 show Blackburn with Darwen has the region's largest benefits bill at £474 million, while Burnley has the highest spending per resident at £3,089.
Across Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley, total welfare spending is expected to exceed £1.55bn this year.
Nationally, the spending on the six main benefits has topped £133 billion, up 24 per cent in two years by £26 billion, more than England and Wales' annual policing budget.
The data shows spending has increased significantly since 2023/24, with Pendle recording the largest rise at 22.9 per cent, followed by Burnley at 21.5 per cent and Hyndburn at 20.8 per cent.
Universal Credit remains the largest single benefit across all six authorities.
In Blackburn with Darwen alone, £279.9m will be paid in Universal Credit, supporting 24,311 households.
Councillor Phil Riley, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council said: “These figures show why the government has made it a major priority at local and national levels to address the number of people on benefits, in particular the number of young people not in work.
"There is support locally to help get people back into work including a number of Council initiatives which address these very serious issues.”
Burnley is expected to spend £175.5m on Universal Credit, while Pendle's bill stands at £158.1m.
The East Lancashire figures highlight the scale of welfare spending and health-related claims across the region.
Blackburn with Darwen has 14,719 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants, up 18.8 per cent in two years, while Burnley has 9,424 and Hyndburn has 8,357.
More than a third of PIP awards in every East Lancashire authority are linked to psychiatric conditions.
Burnley records the highest proportion at 39.3 per cent, followed by Hyndburn at 39.5 per cent and Rossendale at 37.9 per cent.
Thousands of residents also qualify for the Motability scheme, which allows eligible people to lease vehicles using their disability benefits.
Blackburn with Darwen has 7,434 eligible recipients, Burnley has 4,616, and Hyndburn has 4,029.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Our Welfare Map lays bare the parts of Britain which have become addicted to benefits.
“Over the last two years, welfare spending has spiralled out of control and politicians, worried about their poll ratings, have resisted spending restraint at every turn.
“Enough is enough. Politicians must cut this welfare bill, including by restricting who can claim and capping how much they can get, if they want to restore any semblance of taxpayers’ trust in the welfare system."
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The figures also reveal the extent of long-term health conditions affecting employment.
In Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn, one in 10 working-age adults has been assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity (LCWRA), a category for people whose health condition limits their ability to work.
Burnley's figure is one in 11 adults, while in Ribble Valley it falls to one in 31.
Despite wages rising across all six East Lancashire authorities over the past two years, welfare spending has increased at an even faster rate in many areas, underlining continuing pressures from long-term illness, disability and economic inactivity.
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