Claimants rose to 2,370, the fastest annual rise in Berkshire. Great Hollands and the town centre are at 4.6%, more than three times Crowthorne's 1.3%.
2,370 people in Bracknell Forest were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September. That is 50 more than in August and 170 more than a year ago.
The annual rise of 7.7% is the fastest of Berkshire’s six councils. The count is now at its highest since August 2021, when it stood at 2,530. The figures are the Office for National Statistics claimant count, published on nomis on 20 October. (ONS claimant count on nomis)
The borough rate is unchanged at 2.8% of residents aged 16 to 64. That is still below the South East on 3.1% and the UK on 3.9%.
Where the claimants are
The borough figure hides a sharp divide. The ward figures, published for the latest month only, show the town’s older estates with rates more than three times those in Crowthorne and Whitegrove.
| Ward | Claimants | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Priestwood and Garth | 295 | 4.5% |
| Great Hollands | 255 | 4.6% |
| Easthampstead and Wildridings | 245 | 4.0% |
| Harmans Water and Crown Wood | 225 | 3.8% |
| Town Centre and The Parks | 220 | 4.6% |
| Hanworth | 190 | 3.5% |
| Bullbrook | 165 | 4.0% |
| Binfield South and Jennett’s Park | 145 | 1.8% |
| Winkfield and Warfield East | 115 | 1.9% |
| Owlsmoor and College Town | 110 | 1.6% |
| Binfield North and Warfield West | 105 | 1.9% |
| Sandhurst | 100 | 1.7% |
| Swinley Forest | 85 | 2.1% |
| Crowthorne | 70 | 1.3% |
| Whitegrove | 50 | 1.3% |
Those seven town wards hold 1,595 claimants, about two in every three in the borough. Ward counts are rounded to the nearest five, so they add up to 2,375 rather than 2,370.
Under-25s are still rising fastest
The annual rise came mostly from the youngest and oldest claimants.
- Aged 16 to 24: 460, up 75 on September 2025, a rise of 19.5%.
- Aged 50 and over: 585, up 65.
- Aged 25 to 49: 1,325, up 30.
We have tracked the under-25 figure since the summer. In August the borough had the steepest two-year rise in the South East. The ONS has since revised August’s figures down, from 2,360 to 2,320 overall and from 440 to 430 for under-25s. Both are now back above those levels.
How Berkshire compares
| Area | September 2025 | September 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bracknell Forest | 2,200 | 2,370 | +7.7% |
| West Berkshire | 2,320 | 2,455 | +5.8% |
| Wokingham | 2,220 | 2,325 | +4.7% |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 2,395 | 2,465 | +2.9% |
| Slough | 6,400 | 6,530 | +2.0% |
| Reading | 5,440 | 5,355 | -1.6% |
| South East | 179,185 | 186,430 | +4.0% |
| United Kingdom | 1,657,110 | 1,702,905 | +2.8% |
Reading’s count fell over the year. Slough’s rate, 6.0%, is still more than twice Bracknell Forest’s.
What it means for you
The claimant count is not the unemployment rate. It counts people on Jobseeker’s Allowance and people on Universal Credit who are required to look for work. Some of them are in low-paid work. Changes to Universal Credit rules can move it without any change in jobs.
If you live in Great Hollands, Priestwood or the town centre, roughly one working-age resident in 22 is claiming. In Crowthorne it is about one in 77.
The next figures are due from the ONS in mid-November.
Sources
- ONS claimant count, Bracknell Forest and comparison areas, September 2026, via nomis (last updated 20 October 2026).
- ONS claimant count by ward, Bracknell Forest, September 2026, wards as of May 2025.
More local information
- Bracknell house prices: the August figures, published this week.
- Bracknell council tax bands: what each band costs in 2026/27.
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