Issues and SWOT: Charnwood

strength

Connect residents with the existing skills hub

The Careers and Enterprise Hub has opened in the town centre.

Proposed response: Track whether advice leads to useful next steps.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £960 a month (August 2026) in Charnwood council area. This is £499 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.9% in Wreake Valley to 43% in Loughborough Southfields — a gap of 34.1 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

4.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Charnwood council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.1% in Loughborough Woodthorpe to 6.3% in Loughborough East — a gap of 4.3 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

weakness

Keep unfinished flood work visible

Wood Brook remained ongoing when the Town Deal board ended.

Proposed response: Publish who now reports delivery and remaining risk.

Evidence

opportunity

Make the Generator useful to local audiences

The new arts venue has opened.

Proposed response: Connect its programme with residents and independent businesses.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

18.8% of people in Charnwood council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 9.3% in South Charnwood to 25.6% in Loughborough Nanpantan — a gap of 16.3 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

32.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Charnwood council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 7.3% in Loughborough Woodthorpe to 26% in Thurmaston — a gap of 18.7 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Charnwood council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 6.9% in Loughborough Woodthorpe to 22.6% in Loughborough East — a gap of 15.6 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Avoid losing accountability after the board closes

Governance transferred to the borough council with one scheme still ongoing.

Proposed response: Retain the programme’s delivery and evaluation records.

Evidence