Some AtW good news? AtW recruiting 480 new staff to reduce backlog


On 19 May 2026, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden made a written statement to Parliament about AtW.

What was announced

  • 480 additional case staff will be recruited — more than doubling the number of staff compared to March 2024
  • The plan is to clear the current backlog of around 57,000 cases by September 2027
  • 96% of priority cases — where someone is due to start work within four weeks — are now cleared within 28 days

Read more

Full ministerial statement — Parliament website