Issues and SWOT: Spelthorne

strength

Keep inclusive sessions accessible

The ParaSports Club publishes a current programme.

Disabled young people can find a local route into activity.

Evidence

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

3.9% of people reported bad or very bad health in Spelthorne council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.9% in Sunbury East to 4.9% in Staines South — a gap of 2.1 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

Follow temporary support through to a settled home

Harper House and White House serve different homeless households.

Accommodation is one step in a longer housing journey.

Evidence

weakness

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,696 a month (August 2026) in Spelthorne council area. This is £237 higher than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.8% in Halliford and Sunbury West to 35.4% in Staines — a gap of 24.6 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.

opportunity

Show whether stronger guidance changes delivered homes

Affordable-housing and climate guidance has been adopted.

Its value depends on decisions and construction.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

18.1% of people in Spelthorne council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.8% in Ashford North and Stanwell South to 28.5% in Shepperton Town — a gap of 15.7 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

33.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Spelthorne council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.1% in Sunbury East to 22.5% in Stanwell North — a gap of 10.4 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 Spelthorne 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 11.4% in Sunbury East to 23.8% in Stanwell North — a gap of 12.3 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

Keep flood readiness separate from future protection

The Thames programme remains a proposed wider scheme.

Residents still need present-day preparedness.

Evidence