NEARLY 9,000 ill and disabled people in Bournemouth will be targeted under a benefits “revolution” starting today.

Government ministers hoping to get some of the 2.6million people on long-term sickness benefit back to work say their new “more human” reassessment system will see claimants get a personal phone call to discuss what jobs they could do.

With 8.1% of residents claiming incapacity support, Bournemouth overshadows the national average of 6.7 per cent.

Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns says he knows a lot of people are worried.

“Under the old system people weren’t regularly assessed, so the numbers just grew,” he said.

“We always struggle with the perception that this is a prosperous and affluent place, but there are large pockets of deprivation.”

The figures compare favourably with Glasgow where a third of people are signed off work, he said.

“We’ll be starting from the premise that most people want to work and want to contribute,” he said. “People who are unable to work or are disabled have nothing to fear from this.”

Richard Slade, the lead advice supervisor from Bournemouth Citizens’ Advice Bureau, said they’d seen numbers of people being refused Employment Support Allowances only to win an appeal.

“A more thorough system that is going to bring about a fairer result would be most significant,” he said. “But you can’t say it will improve people’s chances – it will work both ways.”

Poole has 4,670 people on incapacity benefit, and just over 10,000 people claiming in Dorset.