Issues and SWOT

strength

Use the new sixth form’s central location

Telford 6th has opened beside the existing education and enterprise hub.

Good facilities should make routes into further study easier.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £861 a month (August 2026) in Telford and Wrekin council area. This is £598 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 11.2% in Horsehay & Lightmoor to 43% in Brookside — a gap of 31.8 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

Keep cultural access during the theatre rebuild

The original theatre needed replacement because of structural defects.

Residents and businesses face a gap while work continues.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in Telford and Wrekin council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.7% in Priorslee to 8.5% in Malinslee & Dawley Bank — a gap of 5.8 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

Connect renewal to each town’s existing strengths

Wellington Orbit has new spaces and Oakengates has refurbished shops.

Different centres need useful everyday services as well as visitors.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

17.6% of people in Telford and Wrekin council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 5.3% in Lawley to 30.4% in Wrockwardine — a gap of 25.1 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

26.1% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Telford and Wrekin council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.3% in Lawley to 27.5% in Woodside — a gap of 18.3 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 Telford and Wrekin 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

4 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 8.4% in Priorslee to 34.4% in Brookside — a gap of 26.1 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 the theatre’s programme and forecasts realistic

Demolition exposed areas requiring further investigation before the next phase.

Programme changes need clear explanations and updated costs.

Evidence