Issues and SWOT: Stevenage

strength

Keep practical housing support accessible

The rough-sleeper team provides outreach and linked support.

People can access help while larger housing projects develop.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,440 a month (August 2026) in Stevenage council area. This is £19 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.5% in Longmeadow to 27.4% in Old Town — a gap of 17.9 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.

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

4.7% of people reported bad or very bad health in Stevenage council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3% in Manor to 5.8% in Martins Wood — a gap of 2.8 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.

weakness

Protect access during sports-centre construction

Existing pool users face parking changes during the works.

Construction can make regular sessions harder to reach.

Evidence

opportunity

Make the new pitch affordable to use

The PlayZone is intended for community hire throughout the year.

Booking arrangements will shape who benefits.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

15.1% of people in Stevenage council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 11.5% in St Nicholas to 18.5% in Symonds Green — a gap of 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

29.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Stevenage council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.1% in Woodfield to 20.1% in Bedwell — a gap of 8 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 Stevenage 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 10.8% in Woodfield to 23.4% in Bedwell — a gap of 12.6 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 Station Gateway milestones conditional

The agreement still depends on further grant funding.

Homes and station improvements cannot be counted as delivered.

Evidence