Benefits and low income
A built-up area in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole — Merley BUA, E63006650. Every figure below describes that area, except where it is labelled as a comparison, or as a figure for a neighbourhood or a wider area.
These benefits are published on different timetables, so each card shows its own period or periods. Each card has its own scale, so a bar can be compared only with the bars on the same card.
Benefits for people of State Pension age, March 2026
People in Merley. The solid bar is the number measured inside the built-up area. The line runs to the most it could be, because some neighbourhoods reach beyond the built-up area.
State Pension is off this scale: at least 1,443 people and no more than 1,987, March 2026.
Source Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-XplorePeriod Mar-26Area Merley built-up area
Sources, notes and figures: Benefits for people of State Pension age, March 2026
Source DWP Stat-Xplore, Department for Work and Pensions
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licence terms
DWP rounds small-area counts to the nearest 5. An LSOA straddling two parishes cannot be attributed to either, so its people are outside the measured figure and inside the upper bound instead.
Merley built-up area: measured at Lower Layer Super Output Area level and summed to this area.
| At least | No more than | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance Allowance | 171 | 226 | March 2026 |
| Pension Credit | 70 | 81 | March 2026 |
| State Pension | 1,443 | 1,987 | March 2026 |
Children in low-income families, 2024/25
Children in Merley. The solid bar is the number measured inside the built-up area. The line runs to the most it could be, because some neighbourhoods reach beyond the built-up area.
Source Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-XplorePeriod 2024/25Area Merley built-up area
Sources, notes and figures: Children in low-income families, 2024/25
Source DWP Stat-Xplore, Department for Work and Pensions
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licence terms
DWP rounds small-area counts to the nearest 5. An LSOA straddling two parishes cannot be attributed to either, so its people are outside the measured figure and inside the upper bound instead.
Merley built-up area: measured at Lower Layer Super Output Area level and summed to this area.
| At least | No more than | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children in low-income families, after housing costs | 98 | 122 | 2024/25 |
| Children in relative low-income families | 54 | 67 | 2024/25 |
Disability and carer benefits
People in Merley. The solid bar is the number measured inside the built-up area. The line runs to the most it could be, because some neighbourhoods reach beyond the built-up area. The chart covers two periods, each under its own heading.
Source Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-Xplore (PIP_Monthly_new)Period Jul-26Area Merley built-up area
Source Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-XplorePeriod Mar-26Area Merley built-up area
Sources, notes and figures: Disability and carer benefits
Source DWP Stat-Xplore, Department for Work and Pensions (PIP_Monthly_new)
Source DWP Stat-Xplore, Department for Work and Pensions
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licence terms
DWP rounds small-area counts to the nearest 5. An LSOA straddling two parishes cannot be attributed to either, so its people are outside the measured figure and inside the upper bound instead.
Merley built-up area: measured at Lower Layer Super Output Area level and summed to this area.
| At least | No more than | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Independence Payment | 176 | 213 | July 2026 |
| Carer's Allowance, entitled | 66 | 87 | March 2026 |
| Carer's Allowance, in payment | 40 | 51 | March 2026 |
Working-age benefits
People in Merley. The solid bar is the number measured inside the built-up area. The line runs to the most it could be, because some neighbourhoods reach beyond the built-up area. The chart covers three periods, each under its own heading.
Source Office for National Statistics, from NomisPeriod August 2026Area Merley built-up area
Source Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-Xplore (UC_Monthly)Period May 2026Area Merley built-up area
Source Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-Xplore (ESA_Caseload_new)Period Mar-26Area Merley built-up area
Sources, notes and figures: Working-age benefits
Source Nomis (ONS Census 2021, claimant count, ASHE, UK Business Counts), ONS / Durham University
Source DWP Stat-Xplore, Department for Work and Pensions (UC_Monthly)
Source DWP Stat-Xplore, Department for Work and Pensions (ESA_Caseload_new)
Source: Office for National Statistics Licence terms
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licence terms
Nomis publishes the rate against current ONS population estimates, not the 2021 Census base, so it will not reproduce from Census figures. An LSOA straddling two parishes cannot be attributed to either, so its claimants are outside the measured figure and inside the upper bound instead.
DWP rounds small-area counts to the nearest 5. An LSOA straddling two parishes cannot be attributed to either, so its people are outside the measured figure and inside the upper bound instead.
Merley built-up area: measured at Lower Layer Super Output Area level and summed to this area.
| At least | No more than | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claimant count | 40 | 50 | August 2026 |
| Universal Credit | 280 | 311 | May 2026 |
| Employment and Support Allowance | 29 | 34 | March 2026 |
Housing Benefit, March 2026
People of working age or State Pension age in Merley receiving Housing Benefit. The solid bar is the number measured inside the built-up area. The line runs to the most it could be, because some neighbourhoods reach beyond the built-up area.
Source Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-Xplore (hb_new)Period 202603 (Mar-26)Area Merley built-up area
Sources, notes and figures: Housing Benefit, March 2026
Source DWP Stat-Xplore, Department for Work and Pensions (hb_new)
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licence terms
DWP rounds small-area counts to the nearest 5. An LSOA straddling two parishes cannot be attributed to either, so its people are outside the measured figure and inside the upper bound instead.
Merley built-up area: measured at Lower Layer Super Output Area level and summed to this area.
| At least | No more than | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Benefit | 46 | 51 | March 2026 |
Fuel poverty, 2024
Households in Merley, not people. The solid bar is the number measured inside the built-up area. The line runs to the most it could be, because some neighbourhoods reach beyond the built-up area.
The fuel poverty rate is between 4.9% and 8.4%, 2024.
Source Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, sub-regional fuel poverty statisticsPeriod 2024Area Merley built-up area
Estimates of fuel poverty at Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) should be treated with caution. The estimates should only be used to look at general trends and identify areas of particularly high or low fuel poverty. They should not be used to identify trends over time within an LSOA, or to compare LSOAs with similar fuel poverty levels due to very small sample sizes and consequent instability in estimates at this level.
Sources, notes and figures: Fuel poverty, 2024
Source Sub-regional fuel poverty statistics, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licence terms
Merley built-up area: measured at Lower Layer Super Output Area level and summed to this area.
| At least | No more than | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in fuel poverty | 128 | 166 | 2024 |
| Fuel poverty rate | 4.9% | 8.4% | 2024 |