MORE than 40 per cent of incapacity benefit claimants in the borough are actually fit to work, new figures have revealed.
A total of 42 per cent of claimants have been reassessed as fit for work, leaving Brentwood with the sixth highest proportion of people who have lost their benefit in the country.
The number of people falsely claiming they cannot work on health grounds has remained high since the reassessment process started in 2010.
Last year it was revealed that 55 per cent of Brentwood benefit claimants – the highest in the country at that point – were found fit for work.
The most recent figures may represent people who have appealed against their reclassification.
Those found fit for work will no longer be eligible for ongoing sickness benefit and will be moved on to Jobseekers' Allowance. They will have to prove they are actively looking for work or face losing their entitlement.
The statistics were revealed last week by the Department for Work and Pensions, which has been reassessing claimants to see if they qualify for Employment and Support Allowance, the replacement for incapacity benefit.
Brentwood was rated by the Halifax in its annual Quality of Life Survey as the fifth best place to live in the UK in December, up from 13th the year before.
Elsewhere in Essex, 41 per cent of claimants in Maldon were found fit for work, in Braintree the figure was 38 and in Basildon it was 35 per cent.
The figures show that the Orkney and Shetland Islands have the fewest number of people falsely claiming benefits. South Derbyshire has the highest.
Cllr Louise McKinlay, Tory leader of Brentwood Borough Council, said: "The number of people on incapacity benefit has increased massively over the last few years and you have to question whether the old rules were as stringent as they should have been.
"It's vital that any assessment is fair and focuses on each individual case but ultimately, supporting people back to work is better for all concerned."
Labour group leader Cllr Mike Le-Surf said: "I hope that the assessments are being carried out properly. I understand that more than 40 per cent of people who had appealed have had the initial decision overturned.
"I do hope people have been taken off benefits for the right reasons."
