Quality of Life in Warwickshire

An annual report which takes a detailed look at the Quality of Life of Warwickshire’s residents, while also tracking changes compared to other years, has been launched.

The Quality of Life in Warwickshire report provides a snapshot of how quality of life in Warwickshire compares with the rest of the country.

Warwickshire County Council’s Warwickshire Observatory carried out the analysis of life in Warwickshire today.

The report shows Warwickshire continues to be a dynamic and growing part of the country, where significant change has taken place both over recent years and where it is expected to continue to change in the future.

The report explores the economic, social and environmental make-up of Warwickshire, and the key influences on these. It looks at issues as varied as incomes, housing, employment, education, health, well-being, natural environment, transport, crime, and deprivation. And importantly, it explores how all of these can differ from place to place and within our different communities across the county.

  • Over the past 30 years, Warwickshire’s population has increased by almost 70,000 to 546,600 – equivalent to three extra Kenilworths in the county. Looking ahead, the population is projected to grow further, to reach a total of 658,900 by 2035.
  • Across Warwickshire as a whole, the highest rates of projected population growth are in people aged 65 and over, accounting for 18% of the total population in 2010 and projected to increase to around 25% by 2035. The rate of growth increases with age with the eldest age group, those aged 85 and over, projected to increase by more than 190% between 2010 and 2035
  • Despite unemployment falling in Warwickshire over the last twelve months, the number of people out of work for more than twelve months increased from 995 to 1,695. Long term unemployment now makes up 21% of all unemployment, compared to 11% last year. Long term unemployment appears to be most significant in Nuneaton and Bedworth, where nearly one in four jobless people have been claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance for over twelve months.
  • The overall Warwickshire NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) rate stood at 4.5% in November 2011, which was below the England rate of 8%. The highest numbers of young people who are NEET are in Nuneaton and Bedworth, but the highest rate is in North Warwickshire (5.3%). Volumes of NEETs will fluctuate slightly throughout the year but data indicates that NEET rates are higher in the north of the county than the south.
  • The average gross annual earnings (before tax, national insurance or other deductions) for a full-time worker living in Warwickshire were £26,800 in 2011, an increase of just over £500 compared to 2010.
  • The median house price for Warwickshire in 2011 was £182,000, which is just below England’s of £184,995, but significantly higher than the West Midlands regional figure of £145,000. Stratford-on-Avon has prices almost twice as high as Nuneaton and Bedworth.
  • For those people living in Stratford-on-Avon on the lowest wages, the cheapest housing is the equivalent of ten years pay.
  • There were 6,313 babies born in Warwickshire in 2010, up 20% in the last ten years.
  • One in four of Warwickshire’s secondary school pupils (23%) report that they rarely or never eat breakfast.
  • The amount of waste produced per head of population fell in 2011/12 to 472kg, and has been falling since 2004. This is the equivalent to the weight of five washing machines.
  • Motorcyclists make up about 1% of all traffic but in 2011 accounted for 22% of killed or seriously injured casualties in Warwickshire. Overall, young drivers, riders and passengers (aged 17-24 years) accounted for 28% of all people killed or seriously injured on Warwickshire’s roads.
  • One in five households spend more than 10% of their total income on energy bills alone.

Councillor David Wright, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Improvement, and IT at Warwickshire County Council said: “Within the County Council, the Quality of Life Report is one of the key foundations of our decision making process and it forms a vital aid in ensuring that the policies we make are based on the most up to date data, evidence and intelligence.”

Blog Link:  http://warksobservatory.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/quality-of-lif…port-published/

http://wp.me/pGw9x-10o or http://bit.ly/QualityofLifeinWarwickshire

Twitter: @WarksObs