strength
Build on an existing repair organisation
The grant supports additional reception and training space for Market Harborough Fixers.
Proposed response: Help the group turn extra space into useful repair skills.
What could help →Harborough, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Harborough
Harborough local authority area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £973 a month (August 2026) in Harborough council area. This is £486 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.1% in Dunton to 18.2% in Market Harborough-Little Bowden — a gap of 9.1 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.
What could help →strength
Bring support closer to people in poor health
3.7% of people reported bad or very bad health in Harborough council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.3% in Broughton Astley South & Leire to 5.3% in Lubenham — a gap of 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.
What could help →strength
Connect local skills to local opportunities
37.8% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Harborough council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.9% in Broughton Astley South & Leire to 16.6% in Broughton Astley-Primethorpe & Sutton — a gap of 6.7 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.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Remove barriers to inclusive play
Bellfields funding responds to requests for more accessible equipment.
Proposed response: Test the full playground visit with families.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Make Rookery Park easier to reach and use
Kibworth has an allocation for a park path upgrade.
Proposed response: Connect good surfaces with entrances and everyday routes.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
22% of people in Harborough council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.1% in Broughton Astley South & Leire to 28.6% in Market Harborough-Logan — a gap of 13.5 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.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Harborough 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.
What could help →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.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 7.4% in Misterton to 15.7% in Market Harborough-Great Bowden & Arden — a gap of 8.4 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
threat
Keep grant awards distinct from completed facilities
These allocations still need delivery evidence.
Proposed response: Publish the completed work and ongoing care arrangements.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Build on an existing repair organisationMarket Harborough Fixers training space: Grant awarded | Harborough District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Remove barriers to inclusive playBellfields accessible play equipment: Funding allocated | Harborough District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make Rookery Park easier to reach and useRookery Park path upgrade: Funding allocated | Harborough District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Keep grant awards distinct from completed facilitiesRookery Park path upgrade: Funding allocated; Bellfields accessible play equipment: Funding allocated; Market Harborough Fixers training space: Grant awarded | Harborough District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £973 a month (August 2026) in Harborough council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.1% in Dunton to 18.2% in Market Harborough-Little Bowden — a gap of 9.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 19 of 19 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plan homes and care around an older population22% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.1% in Broughton Astley South & Leire to 28.6% in Market Harborough-Logan — a gap of 13.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 19 of 19 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health3.7% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.3% in Broughton Astley South & Leire to 5.3% in Lubenham — a gap of 3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 19 of 19 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities37.8% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.9% in Broughton Astley South & Leire to 16.6% in Broughton Astley-Primethorpe & Sutton — a gap of 6.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 19 of 19 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 7.4% in Misterton to 15.7% in Market Harborough-Great Bowden & Arden — a gap of 8.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 19 of 19 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |