Social Security and Child Support Tribunal
(asked on 19th May 2025) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of Social Security and Child Support Tribunal hearings were overturned in favour of the claimant in (1) 2020–21, (2) 2021–22, (3) 2022–23, and (4) 2023–24, broken down by (a) venue, (b) regional office, and (c) UK nation.
Decisions on benefits - typically, on a person’s entitlement to benefit, or its rate of payment - can be overturned on appeal for a variety of reasons. For instance, further evidence, including oral testimony, may be provided at the hearing. HM Courts & Tribunals Service cannot comment on decisions made by independent tribunal judiciary.
Information about overturn rates for appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) is published on gov.uk. The most recent statistics, for the period October to December 2024, was published on 13 March 2025 and is copied below.
Social Security and Child Support - Percentage of hearings overturned in favour(4) of claimant by financial year and venue, 2020/21 to 2023/24(1,2,3,5) | |||||
Venue | Region(6) | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Aberdeen | Scotland | 57% | 48% | 55% | 56% |
Aberystwyth | Wales | 86% | 60% | 70% | 74% |
Aldershot | South West | 81% | 64% | 72% | 56% |
Ashford | South East | 74% | 57% | 65% | 62% |
Ayr | Scotland | 60% | 58% | 57% | 66% |
Barnsley | North East | 57% | 46% | 56% | 54% |
Barnstaple | South West | 88% | 67% | 63% | 50% |
Barrow | North West | 76% | 67% | 68% | 65% |
Basildon | South East | 74% | 63% | 67% | 63% |
Bedford | South East | 72% | 62% | 65% | 57% |
Bedlington | North East | 53% | 43% | 50% | 45% |
Benbecula | Scotland | 40% | 100% | 30% | 100% |
Berwick | North East | .. | 0% | 20% | 33% |
Bexleyheath | London | 78% | 63% | 65% | 71% |
Birkenhead | North West | 71% | 65% | 62% | 63% |
Birmingham | Midlands | 72% | 59% | 54% | 54% |
Blackburn | North West | 69% | 60% | 59% | 66% |
Blackpool | North West | 71% | 45% | 56% | 68% |
Bolton | North West | 66% | 54% | 57% | 65% |
Boston | Midlands | 74% | 71% | 60% | 63% |
Bournemouth | South West | 86% | 74% | 78% | 67% |
Bradford | North East | 59% | 52% | 54% | 48% |
Brighton | South East | 69% | 56% | 65% | 64% |
Bristol | South West | 84% | 71% | 73% | 66% |
Bromley | London | 83% | .. | .. | .. |
Burnley | North West | 61% | 56% | 62% | 61% |
Caernarfon | Wales | 77% | 63% | 64% | 68% |
Cambridge | South East | 66% | 52% | 58% | 60% |
Campbeltown Centre | Scotland | 67% | 75% | 65% | 56% |
Cardiff | Wales | 81% | 70% | 71% | 62% |
Carlisle | North West | 71% | 56% | 66% | 70% |
Carmarthen | Wales | 88% | 53% | 75% | 72% |
Chatham | South East | 75% | 65% | 58% | 62% |
Chelmsford | South East | 68% | 46% | 60% | 62% |
Chester | North West | 71% | 59% | 58% | 66% |
Chesterfield | Midlands | 75% | 71% | 67% | 70% |
Colchester | South East | 80% | 100% | 0% | .. |
Coventry | Midlands | 77% | 65% | 64% | 69% |
Darlington | North East | 59% | 54% | 50% | 45% |
Derby | Midlands | 75% | 67% | 62% | 63% |
Doncaster | North East | 58% | 54% | 57% | 47% |
Dumfries (Cairndale) | Scotland | 61% | 56% | 65% | 63% |
Dundee | Scotland | 58% | 59% | 54% | 57% |
Dunfermline | Scotland | 54% | 61% | 58% | 67% |
Durham | North East | 72% | 59% | 45% | 42% |
Eagle Building | Scotland | 49% | 45% | 100% | .. |
East London | London | 69% | 63% | 68% | 71% |
Eastbourne | South East | 79% | 64% | 60% | 27% |
Edinburgh | Scotland | 64% | 56% | 56% | 62% |
Enfield | London | 72% | 69% | 76% | 74% |
Exeter | South West | 82% | 66% | 73% | 72% |
Fox Court | London | 72% | 66% | 70% | 76% |
Galashiels | Scotland | 59% | 61% | 58% | 56% |
Gateshead | North East | 57% | 53% | 39% | 35% |
Glasgow | Scotland | 62% | 57% | 57% | 62% |
Gloucester | South West | 80% | 67% | 69% | 67% |
Greenock | Scotland | 66% | 61% | 52% | 63% |
Grimsby | North East | 63% | 48% | 60% | 49% |
Hamilton | Scotland | 52% | 57% | 58% | 56% |
Hastings | South East | 72% | 57% | 59% | 62% |
Hatton Cross | London | 75% | 63% | 68% | 72% |
Havant | South West | 76% | 63% | 60% | 58% |
Haverfordwest | Wales | 85% | 57% | 71% | 85% |
Hereford | Midlands | 78% | 57% | 59% | 52% |
High Wycombe | South East | 70% | 61% | 60% | 60% |
Holborn | London | 64% | .. | .. | .. |
Huddersfield | North East | 78% | 100% | 67% | 85% |
Hull | North East | 57% | 54% | 57% | 55% |
Inverness | Scotland | 61% | 56% | 56% | 59% |
Ipswich | South East | 66% | 54% | 60% | 65% |
Kidderminster | Midlands | 77% | 67% | 57% | 68% |
Kilmarnock | Scotland | 55% | 53% | 63% | 53% |
Kings Lynn | South East | 66% | 50% | 48% | 63% |
Kirkcaldy | Scotland | 56% | 56% | 47% | 58% |
Kirkwall | Scotland | 57% | 63% | 65% | 54% |
Lancaster | North West | 71% | 64% | 61% | 66% |
Langstone, Newport | Wales | 70% | 71% | 69% | 67% |
Leeds | North East | 67% | 59% | 59% | 60% |
Leicester | Midlands | 73% | 65% | 66% | 64% |
Lerwick | Scotland | 70% | 45% | 60% | 50% |
Lewis | Scotland | 50% | 64% | 60% | 70% |
Lincoln | Midlands | 78% | 67% | 61% | 61% |
Liverpool | North West | 69% | 65% | 66% | 67% |
Llandrindod Wells | Wales | 47% | 20% | 75% | 100% |
Llandudno | Wales | 68% | .. | .. | 100% |
Llanelli | Wales | 77% | 57% | 68% | 81% |
Luton | South East | 71% | 56% | 66% | 63% |
Maidenhead | South East | 100% | .. | .. | .. |
Manchester | North West | 68% | 61% | 61% | 66% |
Margate | South East | 73% | 58% | 65% | 61% |
Middlesbrough | North East | 33% | .. | .. | .. |
Milton Keynes | South East | 78% | 73% | 73% | 58% |
Newcastle | North East | 54% | 46% | 42% | 36% |
Newport IOW | South West | 80% | 67% | 83% | 71% |
Newton Abbot | South West | 71% | 71% | 68% | 74% |
North Shields | North East | 64% | 57% | 50% | 40% |
Northampton | Midlands | 73% | 68% | 63% | 69% |
Norwich | South East | 61% | 53% | 63% | 59% |
Nottingham | Midlands | 75% | 66% | 64% | 64% |
Nuneaton | Midlands | 82% | 79% | 64% | 64% |
Oban | Scotland | 40% | 69% | 85% | 44% |
Oxford | South East | 64% | 58% | 60% | 60% |
Peterborough | South East | 71% | 58% | 66% | 65% |
Plymouth | South West | 77% | 70% | 72% | 66% |
Pontypridd | Wales | 100% | .. | .. | .. |
Poole | South West | 66% | 69% | 70% | 65% |
Port Talbot | Wales | 73% | 66% | 69% | 75% |
Portsmouth | South West | 100% | .. | 75% | .. |
Prestatyn | Wales | 73% | 74% | 74% | 71% |
Preston | North West | 75% | 61% | 59% | 61% |
Reading | South East | 75% | 57% | 59% | 66% |
Rochdale | North West | 66% | 63% | 64% | 65% |
Romford | London | 76% | 67% | 68% | 70% |
Salisbury | South West | 80% | 67% | 80% | 66% |
Scarborough | North East | 65% | 57% | 66% | 53% |
Sheffield | North East | 67% | 55% | 57% | 56% |
Shrewsbury | Midlands | 75% | 68% | 50% | 48% |
South Shields | North East | 65% | 50% | 46% | 47% |
Southampton | South West | 74% | 70% | 71% | 60% |
Southend | South East | 75% | 59% | 76% | 70% |
St Helens | North West | 69% | 55% | 60% | 68% |
Stevenage | South East | 76% | 64% | 68% | 63% |
Stirling | Scotland | 59% | 62% | 58% | 54% |
Stockport | North West | 71% | 64% | 69% | 68% |
Stoke | Midlands | 73% | 64% | 59% | 61% |
Stranraer | Scotland | 60% | 51% | 62% | 52% |
Sunderland | North East | 65% | 52% | 41% | 33% |
Sutton | London | 75% | 68% | 71% | 74% |
Swansea | Wales | 80% | 73% | 70% | 68% |
Swindon | South West | 78% | 68% | 71% | 60% |
Taunton | South West | 75% | 68% | 75% | 75% |
Teesside | North East | 63% | 54% | 42% | 38% |
Telford | Midlands | 77% | 36% | 71% | .. |
Truro | South West | 82% | 64% | 81% | 73% |
Wakefield | North East | 67% | 56% | 62% | 61% |
Walsall | Midlands | 70% | 61% | 53% | 54% |
Watford | South East | 73% | 50% | 56% | 64% |
Wellingborough | Midlands | 75% | 69% | 67% | 71% |
Welshpool | Wales | 74% | 38% | 48% | 83% |
Weymouth and Dorchester | South West | 80% | 67% | 75% | 66% |
Wick | Scotland | 71% | 42% | 41% | 61% |
Wigan | North West | 67% | 53% | 55% | 55% |
Wolverhampton | Midlands | 71% | 61% | 58% | 53% |
Worcester | Midlands | 80% | 52% | 61% | 65% |
Workington | North West | 70% | 44% | 60% | 70% |
Worle | South West | 82% | 77% | 81% | 55% |
Wrexham | Wales | 85% | 62% | 64% | 73% |
York | North East | 69% | 74% | 69% | 65% |
Social Security and Child Support - Percentage of hearings overturned in favour(4) of claimant by financial year and region, 2020/21 to 2023/24(2,3) | ||||
Region(6) | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
London | 74% | 66% | 70% | 74% |
Midlands | 74% | 64% | 60% | 60% |
North East | 63% | 54% | 53% | 50% |
North West | 69% | 61% | 62% | 66% |
Scotland | 60% | 57% | 56% | 61% |
South East | 71% | 57% | 63% | 62% |
South West | 79% | 69% | 72% | 65% |
Wales | 78% | 69% | 70% | 68% |
Social Security and Child Support - Percentage of hearings overturned in favour(4) of claimant by financial year and UK nation, 2020/21 to 2023/24(2,3) | ||||
Nation | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
England | 71% | 61% | 63% | 62% |
Scotland | 60% | 57% | 56% | 61% |
Wales | 78% | 69% | 70% | 68% |
Notes:
1. At venue level, some venues either did not record any cases disposed of at hearing in certain years or were closed for some of the years reported. These values are shown as '..' instead of a number.
2. From April 2023 the SSCS Tribunal started to list cases using a new Scheduling and Listing solution. This, alongside HMCTS migrating to a new Strategic Data Platform, has resulted in some cases heard and decided using this new listing solution not currently being included in the data above. Revised data will be published as soon as they are available.
3. Data are not available for Northern Ireland as appeals for Northern Ireland are administered by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service.
4. Decisions in favour are those cases where the decision of the first-tier agency is revised in favour of the appellant.
5. Venues which did not record any hearings in the specified period have not been included in the data.
6. The regions to which the venues are attached are specific to this dataset and may not match other reports.