Issues and SWOT

strength

Use established routes into housing support

The Forge Project works with the council and other support agencies.

People need a clear route from day-to-day support to sustained accommodation.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £653 a month (August 2026) in North Lincolnshire council area. This is £806 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.6% in Axholme South to 35.3% in Town — a gap of 25.8 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

Address the need for suitable older people’s homes

The council identifies a need for older people’s accommodation in its Willoughby Road brief.

Location, accessibility and ongoing costs matter as much as building numbers.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6% of people reported bad or very bad health in North Lincolnshire council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.9% in Messingham to 8.8% in Burringham & Gunness — a gap of 3.9 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

Match new homes with usable connections

Ashmere has planning permission within the wider Trent Vale vision.

Residents need the promised routes and infrastructure when homes become occupied.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

22% of people in North Lincolnshire council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 11.4% in Ashby Lakeside to 31.9% in Burringham & Gunness — a gap of 20.5 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

23.9% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in North Lincolnshire council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 17.1% in Axholme Central to 31.4% in Crosby & Park — a gap of 14.3 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 North Lincolnshire 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 13% in Bottesford to 28.5% in Brumby — a gap of 15.5 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 industrial commitments distinct from ambitions

The council’s May 2026 statement called for clarity about steelmaking, investment and jobs.

Residents need confirmed decisions and support options, not assumed future employment.

Evidence