Working age benefits include the main out-of-work client group categories (unemployed people on Jobseekers Allowance, Lone Parents on Income Support, Incapacity Benefits customers, and others on income-related benefits with the exception of carers who are not subject to activation policies in the same way as other groups). Worst performing neighbourhoods are defined as Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) with an out of work claim rate of 25% or more based on a 4 quarter average between May 2006 and February 2007. LSOAs are statistical areas smaller than wards. An average LSOA contains around 1,500 people. The working age population is defined as the sum of females aged 16-59 plus males aged 16-64. This indicator gives the mean out of work benefit rate for the aggregate of all the worst performing neighbourhoods in the LAA, not for each individual neighbourhood.
