gravesham borough council: community · 1 gravesham borough council: community profile delivering...

Gravesham Borough Council:

Community Profile

Delivering a Gravesham to be proud of

02 03Delivering a Gravesham to be proud ofGravesham Borough Council: Community Profile Delivering a Gravesham to be proud ofGravesham Borough Council: Community Profile

Contents

Gravesham ‘Quality of Life’ Analysis

Introduction

People and Place

Community Participation

Community Safety

Economy

Education

Environment

Public health

Housing

Reference tables (1-17)

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Latest issue: October 2019

Delivering for the CommunityGravesham Borough Council: Community Profile Delivering a Gravesham to be proud ofGravesham Borough Council: Community Profile1 05

OverviewIn order to plan and effectively run public services, it is essential that organisations fully understand the demographics and associated needs of local residents.

This Community Profile therefore aims to provide an outline of Gravesham and should be used as a tool to provide a context and overview of the local community.

This document outlines various statistics that have been identified through the research and analysis of key profiling datasets collected from a wide range of stakeholders including; central and local government, a number of partner organisations and a series of independent bodies.

What is a Community Profile?The profiling of a local area:

• makes publicly available a summary of data andinformation on the quality of life and local services;

• helps public service providers identify whereimprovement is most needed locally and whetherany decisions to allocate resources have the requiredimpact; and

• enables government and regulators to concentratestrategically on those areas that most need support.

The findings from this profile will allow the council the opportunity to better understand the strategic priorities that are relevant to the local community. This information ultimately establishes an evidence base to tailor our corporate and business plans to deliver outcomes to tackle these identified local issues. Profiling as a method is a continuous process as the council seeks to identify any growing trends within the various sectors of the community. The information outlined in this Community Profile will therefore be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure the latest and most accurate data is captured for analysis.

NOTE: The Community Profile is a snapshot of the borough at the time of writing. Wherever possible the latest available data and statistics have been used for analysis throughout.

NOTE: Where presenting Gravesham’s position within Kent, this refers to the council comparatively against all 12 Kent district councils.

Introduction1


OverviewGravesham has an increasingly diverse local population. Central to understanding changes in the community is the national Census.

The Census is a detailed national survey undertaken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is undertaken every 10 years and provides a snapshot of the population and its many characteristics. The last national Census was taken on 27 March 2011 and the results are used throughout this community profile.

Complimenting this information is a series of estimated projections that build on the baseline Census results to present the latest available demographic picture of Gravesham.

The key demographic content in this chapter relates to:• Overall population data;• Age;• Gender;• Ethnicity; and• Religion.

People and Place2

Category Facts

Overall As at mid-2017 Gravesham had a population of 106,100, the lowest figure across the 12 Kent districts. The 2017 figure represents a growth rate of 9.8% in the last 10 years.

Riverside ward has the largest recorded population with 9,421 residents, whilst Chalk ward has the fewest recorded residents with 2,151 (Table 1). Riverside and Chalk are the only Gravesham wards represented in Kent’s top-20 highest and lowest population figures respectively.

Between 2016 and 2017, Gravesham was the only district in Kent to record a fall in population (-100), the first recorded reduction in the borough since 2002.

Despite an overall fall in the population, between 2016 and 2017 Gravesham saw a net growth of 310 international migrants to the borough. Over the same period Gravesham was the only Kent district to experience a negative net internal migrant figure, with 877 more people leaving than those moving to the borough from elsewhere in the UK (Table 2).

Gravesham presents the third highest population density in Kent (10.7 persons per hectare (p/h)), behind only Dartford (14.8 p/h) and Thanet (13.7p/h).

Delivering a Gravesham to be proud ofGravesham Borough Council: Community Profile Delivering a Gravesham to be proud ofGravesham Borough Council: Community Profile08 09

Age In 2017 the mean average age for a Gravesham resident was 39.3 years, up from 38.7 years in 2011 and 38.2 years in 2001. Gravesham’s figure is however the second lowest in Kent behind Dartford (37.8 years), and the county (41 years) and national (39.9 years) averages.

There are an estimated 2,400 residents (2.3%) in Gravesham aged over 85 years and this age group is projected to double in size by 2036. As at 2017, 19.8% of the total Gravesham population was aged 0-14. (Table 3)

Istead Rise has the highest proportion of residents at retirement age (31.2%) and the lowest proportion at 0-14 years (12.6%). Conversely Northfleet North has the lowest proportion of residents at retirement age (8.9%) and the highest proportion at 0-14 years (26.2%).

Gender In regards to gender statistics, as at 2017 the proportion of males to females in the borough was (49.3% - 50.7%) compared to the Kent average of (49.1% - 50.9%).

All age groups over 65 record more females than males, with the ‘90+’ age bracket seeing the highest proportionate share of females (63% - 500) than males (37% - 300). Conversely there are 700 more males than females in the 0-19 bracket.

Ethnicity Gravesham has the highest number (17,494) and proportion (17.2%) of residents from a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) group in Kent. When adding residents identified in the Census as ‘other white’ (primarily EU immigrants), this figure grows to 22,187 or 21.8% of the resident population.

At a ward level, Pelham Ward has the lowest figure of residents of ‘white British’ ethnic background (51.8%). In comparison, Istead Rise has the highest figure across the borough (94.5%).

Over 2,011 households within Gravesham have no occupants with English as their main language. This equates to 5% of all households and is the highest number and proportion of all Kent districts.

Household composition

Across the borough, 41% of households are occupied by couples, 74% of which have dependent children. 28% of households are occupied by single people, the majority of which are occupied by females. 15% of couples have other adults living in their homes, and 7% of households in the borough are lone parent families.

In terms of marital status, within Gravesham 48.8% of people aged 16 and over are married, the sixth highest rate in Kent. Istead Rise ward has the highest marital rate of 63%, with Riverside ward presenting the lowest rate at 38.8%.

Religion The Christian faith is the largest declared religion in the borough with 60.6% of residents, with those declared as ‘no religion’ being the second largest group (21.5%).

Across Kent, Gravesham has the highest proportion of Sikh residents with 7,743 or 7.6% of residents and also the largest proportion of Muslim residents with 1,894 or 1.9% of the population.


OverviewGravesham has a strong sense of community cohesion with a long history of resident participation. This chapter presents an overview of the levels of participation in both formal elections and local resident forums.

Political activity within Gravesham follows traditional patterns across both Kent and nationally with the highest electoral turnout at general elections, decreasing across local council, European and county council elections respectively.

General ElectionsThe Gravesham parliamentary constituency has been called a ‘Bellwether’ constituency as, traditionally, Gravesham constituents have voted for the party that forms the government following parliamentary elections. This was again the case in the 2017 general election.

At the most recent general election for the Gravesham parliamentary seat, held on 8 June 2017, electoral turnout was 67%, slightly below the national average of 69.1%. In terms of results, the incumbent Conservative candidate Adam Holloway MP regained his parliamentary seat.http://democracy.gravesham.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=104&RPID=10636473

Gravesham Borough Council ElectionsGravesham Borough Council has 44 elected Members representing 18 electoral wards as follows:

• Labour: 23 members• Conservative: 19 members• Independent: 2 membershttps://democracy.gravesham.gov.uk/mgElectionResults. aspx?ID=44&RPID=14411716

European Parliament ElectionsThe latest European elections were held in the UK on 23 May 2019 with 73 UK Members of the European Parliament (MEPs nominated. South East turnout in 2019 was 39.4%, higher than the national average of 36.9%.

In regards to local results, Gravesham forms part of the South East region of the UK which elects a total of 10 MEPs to the European Parliament. The South East region nominated representatives from the Brexit Party (four representatives, Liberal Democrat Party (three representatives, Conservative Party (one representative, Labour Party (one representative, and Green Party (one representative). Details of the South East region’s representatives in the European Parliament are available via the EU’s website.

Community Participation3


Kent County Council ElectionsOn 4 May 2017 the Kent County Council election took place whereby 81 councillors were elected of which Gravesham contributed five. The 2017 elections saw the Conservative Party win three seats and the Labour Party win two. The results of the 2017 county elections are listed below: www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-council/how-the-council-works/kent-county-council-elections/live-election-results

Community EngagementWithin Gravesham there is a healthy participation of residents in a variety of citizen panels, voluntary groups and community events.

To achieve the council’s ambition of ‘Delivering a Gravesham to be proud of’, one of the council’s key policy commitments is; “Develop a cohesive and resilient community: implement a leading programme of engagement initiatives, showcasing the borough’s diversity and enabling greater participation in civic life.”

This council’s engagement programme covers a variety of groups, forums and committees which include:• Gravesham Youth Council

Aimed at young people aged between 11 and 19, the Gravesham Youth Council (GYC) meets at the Civic Centre on a monthly basis to discuss current and future projects and issues relating to the borough’s young people. The GYC gives young residents the chance to have their voice heard, debating real issues including matters of inclusion, holding officials to account and discussing council policies that involve young people. www.gravesham.gov.uk/home/community-and-leisure/youth-council/overview

• Residents’ Associations The council’s Tenant Participation Team encourages and supports tenants and leaseholders to set up Residents’ Associations. This is a vehicle for highlighting local concerns, for the discussion of local issues and a means for local community development projects to be delivered. www.gravesham.gov.uk/home/housing/council-tenants/tenant-and-leaseholder-participation/residents-association

• Gravesham Business Network The idea of the group is primarily to stimulate local business activity and collaborations and to promote special offers and services to members. Along with local business support partners, the network informs members of business support workshops, networking opportunities and other events. As part of the network, free business networking events are delivered on a quarterly basis. www.gravesham.gov.uk/home/business/business-support/b2b,-networking-and-promotion/gravesham-business-network

Alongside the opportunities presented through the established forums, the council provide various consultation opportunities through its website enabling the community to help shape service provision: www.gravesham.gov.uk/home/about-the-council/have-your-say/consultations

In addition local Councillors provide community engagement opportunities through their open ‘surgeries’. Here residents can meet their local elected representative to ask questions about the council and its policies, or raise concerns about problems in the local area.


OverviewGravesham Borough Council plays a significant role in addressing community safety through its role as a member of the Dartford and Gravesham Community Safety Partnership. The purpose of the CSP is to audit crime and disorder in the respective boroughs and to establish strategies to reduce it. Alongside the council, partners of the CSP include Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue and Dartford Borough Council,

In order to provide a combined approach to crime and disorder across both Dartford and Gravesham, the CSP has devised a joint Community Safety Strategy which sets the focus and direction the partnership takes. The current key themes for the Community Safety Strategy (2019-22) are as follows:• Violent Crime including Domestic Abuse• Persistent Anti-Social Behaviour and Environmental Crime• Preventing Offending and Reducing Re-offending• Protecting Vulnerable People and Strengthening Communities

Community Safety4

Category Facts

Crime Gravesham’s total crime figure for 2017-18 (12,303) represents the fifth highest figure across Kent districts.

When considered as crime per head of population, for every 1,000 residents in 2017-18 there were 116 recorded crime incidents, the second highest level in Kent behind Thanet (129). (Table 4)

The leading category of recorded crime in the borough is ‘violence against the person’. In 2017-18 this category accounted for 4,596 recorded incidents or 37% of the total.

At a ward level, in 2017-18 Pelham recorded the highest level of crime in the borough (1,811 offences). Istead Rise recorded the lowest number of offences for the same period with 135.

Proportionately, when considering crime per head of population (1,000) both Pelham (219) and Istead Rise (40) again post the highest and lowest values respectively (Table 5).

1 17Delivering for the CommunityGravesham Borough Council: Community Profile Delivering a Gravesham to be proud ofGravesham Borough Council: Community Profile

Category Facts

Road accidents

On Gravesham’s roads there were 345 road traffic accidents (RTA) in 2016, representing the seventh highest figure in Kent.

Gravesham’s figure of 345 equates to 3.3 RTA for every 1,000 residents, the third highest outturn in Kent behind Dartford (4) and Tonbridge and Malling (3.4).

The 2016 figure of 345 RTA represents an increase of 76 compared with 2015, the largest increase across all Kent districts.

Of the 345 RTA in 2016, 54 were identified as resulting in a person being ‘killed or seriously injured’. At 15.7% of the total, this represents the third lowest proportionate figure across Kent.


OverviewHistorically Gravesham’s skill profile points to a legacy of low-skilled employment and a dependence on declining economic sectors, specifically manufacturing. Gravesham has much lower levels of higher professional occupations than the South East or national averages.

Despite this background, there are a number of important economic developments being carried out in and around the borough including the Ebbsfleet Garden City and key transport infrastructure developments making the borough more attractive to future inward investment.

Economy5

Category Facts

Earnings The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2017 presents that the average full-time weekly earnings for residents in the borough was £545.40, representing the fourth lowest figure across Kent districts and £29.50 below the Kent district average. For Gravesham residents working part-time, average weekly earnings were £164.90, the second lowest figure in Kent and £21.60 below the Kent average. (Table 6)

In analysing both full and part-time employment, there are clear distinctions between earnings received by men and women. In 2017, female residents in the borough had the second lowest average weekly earnings across all Kent districts (£292.00), whereas male residents in Gravesham had the fourth highest average weekly earnings (£592.60 per week). This gender gap equates to 50.7%, the highest in Kent.

In terms of workplace earnings for jobs located in the borough, Gravesham recorded the fourth highest full-time weekly earnings across Kent districts (£538.60), £16.50 higher than the Kent average. For part-time jobs in the borough, Gravesham offered the lowest level of wages across Kent districts (£155.90), £26.10 below the Kent average. (Table 7)

When considering both full and part-time employment, as with resident earnings for jobs undertaken in the borough there is a gap in earnings between men and women. In 2017, females working in Gravesham had the lowest average weekly earnings across all Kent district areas (£265.40), whereas males working in the borough had the highest average weekly earnings (£674.50 per week). This gender gap equates to 60.7%, the highest gap in Kent.

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Category Facts

Unemployment As at May 2018, across Kent districts Gravesham had the fifth highest rate of people claiming unemployment benefits (JSA or Universal Credit) at 2.2%, ahead of the county average of 2.0% but in line with the national average. The borough has seen a reduction of 45 claimants (3.1%) since May 2017. (Table 8)

In line with most other Kent districts, the largest level of unemployment in terms of population age groups in Gravesham is found amongst those aged 18-24, with 315 (3.7%) unemployed as at May 2018, ahead of the Kent average (3.0%). (Table 9)

At a ward level, as at May 2018 Northfleet North recorded the highest rate of unemployment (3.3%), whilst two wards jointly recorded the lowest rate at 0.5%; Meopham North, and Meopham South and Vigo. (Table 10)

The three core disability related benefits are: Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance. As at November 2017, Gravesham had 7.6% of its total population in receipt of a disability benefit, the sixth highest figure across Kent districts.

In consideration of travel to work patterns, Gravesham has the highest level of commuting activity across Kent. As at 2012, figures indicate only 43.2% of working residents actually work in Gravesham suggesting significant numbers of out-commuting, primarily to London.

Deprivation 9% of Gravesham residents live in areas inside the top-10% most deprived in England. Aligned to this, approximately 19.4% of children under the age of 16 live in ‘poverty’ as defined by government. (Table 11)

Category Facts

Business The borough of Gravesham has the lowest proportion of employees in the ‘knowledge economy’ (Publishing, Scientific Research and Development and Higher Education) in Kent at 8.2% of all employees.

As a proportion of the overall types of business in the borough, Gravesham posts the highest percentage of businesses in Kent in the following sectors; Construction (20.6%) and Transport and Storage (9.1%). Conversely, Gravesham has the lowest proportion of Public Administration business in Kent (0.1%).

In 2016 a total of 690 new companies were registered in the borough, a rise of 130% on 2010 at the height of the economic downturn. Despite this however, 460 companies were dissolved during the same year. This represents a growth ratio of 1.5 enterprise ‘births’ to ‘deaths’, the highest figure in Kent and ahead of the equivalent national figure (1.3).

In terms of business sustainability, Gravesham presents a figure of 44.4% of businesses surviving 5 years or more, the seventh highest rate in Kent and ahead of the county average of 43.9%. (Table 12)

Gross value added (GVA) is the value of the goods and services produced in the econ-omy, the traditional measure for the overall economic well-being of an area. In 2016, the GVA generated in Gravesham was £17,068 per head of population, the 3rd lowest figure in Kent and amongst the lowest 20% nationally.

Gravesham is home to the joint smallest number of companies employing more than 250 employees across Kent districts. In 2017 only five ‘Value Added Tax and/or Pay As You Earn’ based enterprises were recorded as ‘large’ companies in the borough. As a likely result, only 1.2% of businesses in the borough recorded a turnover in 2017 of more than £5 million, below the Kent district average of 1.9%.



OverviewAs at January 2018, Gravesham had 37 schools across the borough covering all school age pupils. Schools in the borough range from community and voluntary aided schools through to the recently integrated academy schools.

Education6

Category Facts

Pupil demographics

As at 2018 there were 10,117 primary school pupils in Gravesham, with the borough having capacity for 9,798, the largest level of oversubscription in Kent. Conversely, Gravesham is undersubscribed at secondary level with a capacity of 8,046 and only 7,692 pupils. (Table 13)

Gravesham has 12.1% of all pupils eligible for free school meals, the sixth highest figure across Kent and down from 16.9% in 2013.

In 2018 Gravesham had 454 pupils (2.2%) with an allocated statement of Special Educational Needs/an Education, Health & Care Plan, the second lowest rate in Kent.

As at January 2018, 25.9% of primary school pupils do not have English as a first language. Gravesham’s figure is considerably ahead of all other Kent districts, with the county average at 12.2%.

At secondary school level, 21.2% of primary school pupils do not have English as a first language, again the highest figure in Kent and well ahead of the county average of 9.1%. (Table 14)


Category Facts

Absenteeism In 2017, Gravesham had the highest percentage of primary school pupil absences in Kent at 4.4%. For pupils classed as persistently absent (10% or above) the primary school outturn was 10.3% of pupils in the same year.

At secondary level, in 2017 Gravesham presented the ninth highest level of pupil absences in Kent at 5.2%. For pupils classed as persistently absent (10% or above) the secondary school figure was recorded as 14.6% of pupils.

Gravesham’s primary schools had an average of 0.8% of pupils on fixed term exclusions from school in the 2017 academic year, the fourth highest level across Kent. In addition there were two reported permanent exclusions from the borough’s primary schools.

Gravesham’s secondary schools had an average of 4.9% of pupils on fixed- term exclusions in 2017, the joint third highest figure across Kent. There were a recorded 0.13% of pupils permanently excluded from Gravesham’s secondary schools in the same year, the second highest level in Kent.

School effectiveness

As at 2018, 84% of Gravesham’s primary schools had an Ofsted rating of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, the second lowest level in Kent.

In regards to secondary schools, all of Gravesham’s schools present a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding rating, one of only five districts to present a 100% level. (Table 15)

Category Facts

Attainment At Key Stage 4, from 2016 pupil attainment has been identified through the ‘Attainment 8’ score. Grades are converted into scores in English and Maths and the 6 English Baccalaureate subjects. In 2017, the average ‘Attainment 8’ score of Gravesham pupils was 45.8, the fifth highest in Kent, and below the Kent (46.3) and national (46.4) averages.

For A-Level students, in 2017 the average point score per entry in Gravesham was 29.08, the seventh highest in Kent, behind the county (31.00) and national (31.45) averages.

When considering achievement at higher education levels, the 2011 Census reveals that within Gravesham 20% of residents have ‘Level 4 qualifications and above’ i.e. Degree level (and equivalent) and above. This is the fourth lowest figure across Kent districts.

Continuing this theme, these figures can be broken down into electoral wards in the borough. At ‘Level 4 and above’, Meopham North ward with 29.9% has the highest percentage of residents qualified at higher education levels, whereas Singlewell at 12.4% has the lowest level across the borough.

Finally in consideration of the number of residents who have no qualifications, Gravesham recorded a figure of 24.4%. This is the fifth highest level across Kent districts and therefore means that there are more residents in the borough without any qualifications than there are with those classed as ‘Level 4 and above’. This is at odds with the county and national averages where more people have achieved Level 4 and above than those with no qualifications.

At a ward level in Gravesham, Coldharbour ward (32.5%) has the highest proportion of residents with no qualifications, whereas Meopham South and Vigo have the lowest proportion (16.8%).


OverviewThis chapter aims to provide details of Gravesham’s landscape and biodiversity, built environment and water supply.

Landscape and biodiversityThe borough of Gravesham has a striking urban-rural split, primarily divided by the A2 road. Key facts relating to the natural and built environment include:• The land to the north of the A2 is urban based and

is included within the ‘Kent Thameside’ area of the wider Thames Gateway.

• The rural area to the south of the A2 and to the east of Gravesend, approximately 80% of the whole borough, is virtually all Green Belt land and is of significant landscape and biodiversity value.

• The nationally important landscape of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is located in the south and east of the borough.

• The internationally important biodiversity area of the North Kent Marshes is located in the north east of the borough.

Alongside a diverse and quality landscape, there are a number of sites in the borough which receive special protection because of their international, national or county-wide importance for nature conservation. These include the Thames Estuary and Marshes Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site, the North Downs Woodland Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Local Wildlife Sites.

Built environmentGravesham has a high quality built environment. Currently there are:• 9 scheduled monuments; • 27 conservation areas; • 310 listed buildings and; • 2 historic parks and gardens.

Water supplySouthern Water is the public water supply operator for most of the borough. Ebbsfleet is supplied by both Thames Water and Southern Water. In addition, South East Water supplies two small rural areas within the borough around Longfield Hill. The source of water before treatment varies across the borough and other external locations.

Water is pumped from various local sources including underground sources in the chalk at Hazells, Higham, Strood, Cuxton and Fawkham, from both the greensand and chalk at Luddesdown and Northfleet, and from the River Medway.

Environment7


OverviewWhen considering the health of people in Gravesham, it can be concluded that considerable progress in a number of areas over the past few years has resulted in the health of local residents now being broadly aligned to national levels, with deprivation now lower than average.

Despite this progress Gravesham has significant areas of health inequalities, as outlined by the variation in socio-economic deprivation across the borough, including average life expectancy rates.

Public health8

Category Facts

Mortality rates

The rate of mortality from cardiovascular diseases has fallen in recent years. As at 2016, Gravesham’s outturn of 72.6 deaths per 100,000 residents was below the national average of 73.5.

Gravesham has seen significant improvements in the rate of early deaths from cancers (under 75 years of age). As at 2016, Gravesham recorded 137.6/100,000 residents, slightly higher than the national average of 136.8/100,000 residents.

Birth rates Between 2011 and 2016, Gravesham recorded a net average annual increase of 559 in the number of births against deaths, the second highest average increase in Kent.

In 2016 Gravesham recorded a general fertility rate of 69.7/1,000 women (aged 15-44), the second highest rate in Kent and significantly higher than the county (62.5) and national (62.3) averages.


Category Facts

Life expectancy

Figures for life expectancy in the borough reveal an average age of 79.6 years for men, slightly behind the Kent average (79.9) but ahead of the national (79.5) average. For women, Gravesham (83.6) was ahead of both the Kent (83.4) and national (83.1) averages.

In terms of inequality, there is a gap in life expectancy of 13.5 years for men and 8.8 years for women between the wards with the highest life expectancy and those with the lowest.

Coldharbour ward has the lowest life expectancy for men (76.3 years) whereas Riverview has the highest (89.8 years). For women, Northfleet South ward has the lowest recorded age for life expectancy (80.6 years) whereas Chalk has the highest recorded figure (89.4 years).

In terms of gender, the largest gap in life expectancy is in Shorne, Cobham and Luddesdown ward where women live on average for 9.7 years longer than men. Only Northfleet South, River-view and Whitehill wards record a longer life expectancy for men compared to women. (Table 16)

Care Within Gravesham, 2.2% of all unpaid carers are under the age of 16, slightly below the county average (2.3%). However on a ward level basis, this figure ranges from a high of 4.1% in Riverside to 0.9% in Whitehill.

Category Facts

Obesity As at 2017, 23.2% of all Year 6 (10-11) children in Gravesham were identified as obese, the high-est rate across all Kent districts and ahead of the national average (20.0%).

65.5% of adults in Gravesham are identified as overweight or obese, ahead of the Kent (63.0%) and national (61.3%) averages.

Smoking Gravesham recorded the third highest rate for smoking prevalence across the 12 Kent Districts with18.3%, ahead of the national average at 14.9%.

At the time of giving birth, 9.7% of women in Gravesham are identified as smokers, below the county (13.8) and national (10.7) averages.

Young people

For every 100,000 residents aged under 18, Gravesham had 18.9 hospital stays due to alcohol, this being the lowest rate across all 12 Kent districts and below the national average of 34.2.

In 2016, for every 1,000 15-17 year old females, Gravesham had 18.7 conceptions, the sixth high-est rate across Kent and below the national average at 18.8.


OverviewThis chapter presents a collection of statistics relating to the health of the local private sector housing market and social housing in Gravesham.

Housing9

Category Facts

Private housing

It was established from the 2011 Census that Gravesham had the highest proportion of homes in Kent deemed over-occupied in consideration of the number of bedrooms. At 5.5%, Gravesham’s figure was also ahead of the national average (4.7%).

As at 2017, Gravesham had the lowest number of second homes in the borough in comparison to other Kent districts (85).

At 82.9% of the total, Gravesham had the lowest proportion of homes in the private sector across Kent.

As at October 2017, Gravesham presented the second lowest proportion of vacant properties in comparison to other Kent districts (878 – 2%).

In the year 2016-17, 165 homes were built in the borough, the lowest figure across Kent districts. At 230, the 5-year average number of completed dwellings is also the lowest in the county.

In 2017 the average house price in Gravesham was recorded as £308,762, the seventh highest figure across Kent districts and below the Kent (£323,591) and south east regional (£371,404) averages.

As at 2017, Gravesham had the sixth highest average private sector rent (£823/month) across Kent districts, below the Kent average (£826/month).


Category Facts

Social housing

In 2017 Gravesham had the highest number of council housing stock properties (5,680) com-pared to the other six councils providing social housing in Kent. In addition, across all housing Gravesham had the highest percentage of housing identified as either council housing or other social rented housing in comparison to all other Kent districts (13.2%).

Gravesham’s average council housing rent equated to 48.9% of the equivalent average private sector rent in the borough. This ratio is the fifth highest of the seven comparative districts in Kent. (Table 17)

Of the seven council housing providers across Kent, in 2015-16 Gravesham presented the fourth highest weekly rent at £89.73 per week, with Dartford being the highest at £95.25 per week.

As at April 2015, there were 3,629 applicants on the council housing waiting list. Despite having the smallest resident population, Gravesham’s is the largest waiting list across all Kent districts.

With an average purchase price of £118,069, Gravesham saw 29 council properties sold under the ‘Right to Buy’ scheme in 2016-17.


Gravesham ‘Quality of Life’ AnalysisPeople Crime Economy Education Health

Gravesham Electoral Wards

All people aged 16+ in household have English as a main language

Total recorded crime/1,000 hd of population

% unemployed % in receipt of out of work benefits

% of children (under 16) living in ‘poverty’

% of people with a ‘Level 4’ (or above) qualification

Average male life expectancy(years)

Average female life expectancy(years)

People declared as ‘good health’ or above

% of total unpaid carers who are under-16

Central 82.4% 142 2.5% 5.4% 15.0% 25.5% 78.6 82.8 81.5% 2.5%

Chalk 97.9% 77 1.6% 5.1% 6.4% 18.9% 84.7 89.4 80.5% 2.1%

Coldharbour 94.4% 99 2.7% 8.3% 19.1% 13.2% 76.3 80.7 76.6% 1.3%

Higham 97.4% 59 1.4% 6.0% 10.2% 22.3% 81.0 84.2 81.0% 1.0%

Istead Rise 98.6% 40 0.6% 5.0% 4.2% 22.0% 83.0 87.5 82.1% 1.3%

Meopham North 98.1% 59 0.5% 5.1% 5.1% 29.9% 84.1 87.2 84.6% 1.4%

Meopham South and Vigo 98.1% 56 0.5% 3.7% 6.4% 26.5% 80.0 85.0 85.4% 2.1%

Northfleet North 85.2% 143 3.3% 4.4% 25.4% 16.3% 76.9 81.4 81.8% 3.6%

Northfleet South 88.1% 118 2.1% 5.1% 18.0% 18.2% 81.5 80.6 82.7% 2.4%

Painters Ash 95.4% 70 1.1% 8.1% 10.8% 15.3% 78.7 81.1 76.2% 2.1%

Pelham 75.5% 219 3.1% 5.3% 14.9% 22.9% 77.2 82.9 79.9% 3.1%

Riverside 79.7% 165 3.2% 4.5% 22.3% 19.4% 77.1 82.7 83.3% 4.1%

Riverview 96.7% 64 0.9% 3.8% 5.6% 17.6% 89.8 85.6 84.7% 1.1%

Shorne, Cobham and Luddesdown 96.6% 71 0.7% 4.9% 4.2% 27.5% 78.3 88.0 83.4% 1.8%

Singlewell 96.2% 111 2.4% 6.6% 22.1% 12.4% 76.7 85.5 79.7% 3.0%

Westcourt 95.4% 142 3.1% 6.7% 25.9% 13.7% 78.2 84.4 78.7% 2.5%

Whitehill 94.0% 97 1.7% 5.8% 16.2% 18.5% 83.4 83.2 81.8% 0.9%

Woodlands 93.7% 94 1.4% 5.2% 12.3% 24.6% 82.5 83.1 83.9% 1.2%

KeyLeast challenged

Mid-point

Most challenged

10

Gravesham Borough Council: Community Profi le Gravesham Borough Council: Community Profi le38

Table 1

Reference tables11

Table 2

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

Gravesham ward level population: 2017

-1,000

-500

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

Kent district migration: 2017

Internal

International

Delivering a Gravesham to be proud of 39Delivering a Gravesham to be proud of

Gravesham Borough Council: Community Profile Gravesham Borough Council: Community Profile40 41

Table 3 Table 4

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

0-14 15-24 25-44 45-59 60-74 75-84 85+

Gravesham population projections: 2016-2036

2016

2036

Delivering a Gravesham to be proud ofDelivering a Gravesham to be proud of


Table 5 Table 6



Table 7 Table 8



Table 9 Table 10



Table 11 Table 12

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

% of children (under 16) living in 'poverty'



Table 13 Table 14



Table 15 Table 16



Table 17

30

40

50

60

70

Ashford Canterbury Dartford Dover Folkstone andHythe

Gravesham Thanet

Local Authority housing rent as a % of equivalent private rent (£): 2016


Gravesham Borough Council:

Community Profile


gravesham borough council: community · 1 gravesham borough council: community profile delivering...

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