Issues and SWOT

strength

Keep Poole’s renewed museum useful to residents

The restored buildings include improved physical access.

Cultural investment should support local participation.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,398 a month (August 2026) in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area. This is £61 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.9% in Broadstone to 59.7% in Boscombe West — a gap of 52.7 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

Turn education reform into earlier help

The council acknowledges families’ difficulties getting support.

Families need observable service improvements.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.4% in Penn Hill to 8.8% in Kinson — a gap of 5.4 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

Make local play welcoming and accessible

Families and disability partners have shaped the latest park upgrades.

Usable local play matters for children with different needs.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

21.6% of people in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 8.4% in Winton East to 44.1% in Highcliffe & Walkford — a gap of 35.7 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

32.1% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.8% in Winton East to 24.9% in Kinson — a gap of 15.1 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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

5 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 9% in Broadstone to 29.4% in Kinson — a gap of 20.4 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

Maintain beaches and defences as the coast changes

The council is replacing ageing groynes and planning further beach replenishment.

Coastal protection needs continuing maintenance.

Evidence