FOI/EIR 25/26-457-Universal Credit / Council Tax

Breakdown of ESA to UC claimant's Council Tax adjustments

Request received 22 December 2025

As a billing authority you will have been notified by the Department for Work and Pensions when an ESA claimant is migrated to UC. As a result, you will have recalculated their council tax and any reduction they were getting. Therefore, I request the following information about this group:

• How many ESA to UC claimants have you been notified about?
• How many have seen their council tax bill increase?
• How many have remained the same?
• How many have decreased?

While not every claimant who migrated from ESA to UC will be getting social care, some will. Therefore, please share the following information.

• How many ESA to UC claimants are getting social care?
• How many have seen their social care charges increase?
• How many have remained the same?
• How many have decreased?

Responded 19 January 2026

We do not hold this information. 

We can advise the reduction in number of ESA cases within the Housing Benefit caseload that are no longer in receipt of ESA: The reduction from April 2025 – December 2025 is 262.

In respect of those requests that were answered in full or partially and the total refused please take this as notice under FOIA, that we: 

a) Consider the information as exempt from disclosure under the Act; 

b) Claim exempt under sections of the Act: 

Section 12(4)(a) – Information Not Held 

c) State why the exemption applies: 

Regulation 12 (4) a public authority may refuse to disclose information to the extent that (a) it does not hold that information when an applicant’s request is received.

As a District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council is not responsible for Social Services / Care. This function will fall under the remit of Cambridgeshire County Council. Please re-direct your enquiry to foi@cambridgeshire.gov.uk