Welfare spending forecasts during the Conservative 2015–2017 government
Year ending March 2015 → Year ending March 2017 · 2 periods
↑ 1.3%+£2.8bn £ billion
Welfare spending forecasts rose by 1.3% over the period, from £213.9bn £ billion (Year ending March 2015, the level when the government took office) to £216.7bn (Year ending March 2017, the last complete period before it left office).
Inherited level Year ending March 2015: £213.9bn
Level when it left Year ending March 2017: £216.7bn
method: latest complete period before start / before end
Changes during this period do not by themselves show what the government caused. Statistics reflect many influences, including earlier decisions, the economy and how the data is collected.
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value
Definition and caveats
Total welfare spending in cash terms, inside and outside the welfare cap: the outturn as the OBR last knew it, with every official forecast for the same year.
Doesn’t measure: Any single benefit, or the number of claimants.