Since the country emerged from the last of the Covid-19 measures early in 2022, searches for ‘mobility aids’ and 1,068 related terms such as ‘disability aids’ and ‘disability equipment’ rose by 7.52% by January 2025.
Area
Jan-22
Jan-25
% change
United Kingdom
294,210
316,340
7.52%
This rise comes at a time when the government is considering a range of reforms to the UK benefits system, including measures used to support people who are unable to work due to disabilities, or who may need additional support in order to find employment.
EMS Lifts, who carried out the research, examined areas throughout the UK in order to find out which areas had seen the largest increases and to understand whether any areas had seen a fall in the number of searches overall.
Lambeth saw the highest percentage rise in London, with searches leaping 113% from 550 in January 2022 to 1,170 in January 2025. Wembley and Sutton also saw high percentage jumps of 93% and 83% respectively.
Barnet and Croydon rounded out the top 5 in the area. Barnet saw an increase of 62% while Croydon was close behind with 61% more searches in January 2025.
Area
Jan-22
Jan-25
% change
Lambeth
550
1,170
113%
Wembley
570
1,100
93%
Sutton
840
1,540
83%
Barnet
1,370
2,220
62%
Croydon
2,390
3,850
61%
Croydon saw the most searches overall with 3,850 in January 2025. Barnet placed second with 2,220, while Sutton and Harrow took joint third place with 1,540 searches each.
Lambeth’s large increase saw it move into the top 5 with 1,170 searches overall.
Area
Jan-22
Jan-25
Croydon
2,390
3,850
Barnet
1,370
2,220
Sutton
840
1,540
Harrow
1,770
1,540
Lambeth
550
1,170
Alex Muir of mobility specialists EMS Lifts, who discovered the upward trend, discussed the results. He warned of the potential danger a reduction in access to disability support could have, if, as the numbers suggest, there is a rising number of people with mobility issues across the country.
“Seeing a rise in numbers for searches like this is concerning when the government is seeking to make accessing support through things like P.I.P. more difficult. It suggests that there could be an increasing number of people in need of help who may not meet the tougher criteria.
“We know the difference that the proper equipment can make to the lives of people with mobility issues, and if the government truly wants people to be able to get to work, then cutting eligibility for support is the wrong way to go about it.
“Ultimately, the numbers could show that the U.K. is on the verge of a perfect storm where we see more people unable to remain productive, because they need help at a time when it has become impossible to get.”
