Issues and SWOT

strength

Build on Preston Park’s opened facilities

The Spence Building is already open.

The next test is whether more residents can use the collections and learning space.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £735 a month (August 2026) in Stockton-on-Tees council area. This is £724 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.2% in Southern Villages to 32.1% in Mandale & Victoria — a gap of 23.9 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

Respond clearly to Yarm’s objections

Most responses to the High Street engagement opposed the proposed scheme.

The result describes respondents, not a representative poll of all residents.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6.3% of people reported bad or very bad health in Stockton-on-Tees council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.2% in Ingleby Barwick North to 10.2% in Stockton Town Centre — a gap of 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

Turn the waterfront into everyday public space

The scheme links the High Street and river with play and event areas.

Useful public space needs safe access and regular care.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

18.9% of people in Stockton-on-Tees council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 8.4% in Ingleby Barwick North to 35.3% in Billingham West & Wolviston — a gap of 26.9 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

29.5% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Stockton-on-Tees council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8.2% in Ingleby Barwick North to 29.5% in Stockton Town Centre — a gap of 21.2 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 Stockton-on-Tees 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 5.4% in Ingleby Barwick North to 33.6% in Stockton Town Centre — a gap of 28.2 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 leisure investment affordable to run

Billingham’s funding decision and Thornaby’s construction programme are at different stages.

Budgets and opening forecasts must not be treated as delivered services.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2