Issues and SWOT

strength

Use the existing health hub

The Live Well Centre provides space for several health and community services.

Combining support in one place can make referrals easier.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £698 a month (August 2026) in Middlesbrough council area. This is £761 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 5.7% in Nunthorpe to 49.5% in Newport — a gap of 43.7 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 access rules easy to understand

The centre gym normally requires a health-professional referral.

Residents should not assume every advertised facility is open to everyone.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

7.3% of people reported bad or very bad health in Middlesbrough council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.6% in Nunthorpe to 10.4% in Park End & Beckfield — a gap of 6.8 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

Make Middlehaven work as a neighbourhood

The first-phase proposal would add homes near established education and employment sites.

Safe connections and affordable housing matter alongside the number built.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

16.8% of people in Middlesbrough council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 7.9% in Central to 31.4% in Kader — a gap of 23.5 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.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

26.4% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Middlesbrough council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 10.8% in Nunthorpe to 36% in North Ormesby — a gap of 25.2 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 Middlesbrough 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 7.8% in Nunthorpe to 35.1% in North Ormesby — a gap of 27.3 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

Test the theatre’s operating case before committing

The theatre is an aspiration in an approved investment prospectus.

Building it would also create continuing staffing and maintenance costs.

Evidence