Issues and SWOT

strength

Keep Barrow’s relocated services useful and accessible

Town Hall services have been established following the Forum closure.

Residents need clear locations and continuity.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £816 a month (August 2026) in Westmorland and Furness council area. This is £643 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.9% in Hawcoat and Newbarns to 34.5% in Old Barrow and Hindpool — a gap of 27.6 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

Match Penrith’s school places to local needs

Beaconside is expanding general and specialist provision.

Growing communities need suitable staffed places.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Westmorland and Furness council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3% in Bowness and Lyth to 10.2% in Old Barrow and Hindpool — a gap of 7.2 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

Use Earnse Bay for learning and community activity

The hub is designed around access to nature and open space.

The programme should benefit local people as well as visitors.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

25.7% of people in Westmorland and Furness council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 16.7% in Old Barrow and Hindpool to 37% in Grange and Cartmel — a gap of 20.3 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

33.1% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Westmorland and Furness council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.1% in Levens and Crooklands to 23.8% in Old Barrow and Hindpool — a gap of 12.8 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 Westmorland and Furness 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 8.4% in Levens and Crooklands to 31.9% in Old Barrow and Hindpool — a gap of 23.6 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

Plan for Kendal’s transport needs without assuming the road is funded

The Northern Access Route has been left out of the investment programme.

Other practical measures need a realistic delivery plan.

Evidence