Issues and SWOT

strength

Build useful connections around the reopened railway

The present Northumberland Line phase is complete.

Stations are useful when people can reach them and onward destinations.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £695 a month (August 2026) in Northumberland council area. This is £764 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 4.3% in Cramlington North to 36.6% in Hirst — a gap of 32.3 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.

weakness

Make higher-level training accessible in Blyth

The new Institute is intended to bring higher-level education to the town.

A building needs courses and routes into employment.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Northumberland council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.4% in Cramlington North to 10.8% in Croft — a gap of 8.4 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.

opportunity

Improve access to Berwick’s cultural facilities

The Maltings redesign brings main public spaces together on one level.

Residents could use a more accessible venue.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

25.4% of people in Northumberland council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 13.3% in Bebside & Kitty Brewster to 37.2% in Corbridge — a gap of 23.9 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

30.7% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Northumberland council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8.8% in Ponteland West to 28.4% in Cowpen — a gap of 19.6 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 Northumberland 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 6.3% in Cramlington North to 32.9% in Cowpen — a gap of 26.6 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

Keep Maltings costs and dates visible

Further investigations and construction costs have changed the budget.

The scheme needs an affordable operating and construction plan.

Evidence