Issues and SWOT: Stratford-on-Avon

strength

An improved play space is available

The Recreation Ground refurbishment is recorded as delivered.

Proposed response: Check accessibility and equipment condition.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,149 a month (August 2026) in Stratford-on-Avon council area. This is £310 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.3% in Claverdon & Snitterfield to 29.6% in Stratford Welcombe — a gap of 23.4 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

4.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in Stratford-on-Avon council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.4% in Long Marston to 5.8% in Studley North — a gap of 3.4 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.

strength

Connect local skills to local opportunities

39.5% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Stratford-on-Avon council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9% in Stratford Orchard Hill to 24.1% in Alcester East — 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.

weakness

Some households need help getting reliable food

The food-grant decision responds to food insecurity across the district.

Proposed response: Make support routes clear beyond the main town.

Evidence

opportunity

Practical volunteering can improve local habitats

The approved orchard and pond programme links environmental work with community activity.

Proposed response: Publish planting and workshop opportunities.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

25.2% of people in Stratford-on-Avon council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 11% in Stratford Avenue to 35.1% in Stratford Guildhall & Bridgetown — a gap of 24.1 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

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Stratford-on-Avon 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 7.4% in Claverdon & Snitterfield to 22.7% in Alcester East — a gap of 15.3 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

Complex funding rules can leave improvement money unused

The warm-homes decision explicitly identifies competing incentives between funding streams.

Proposed response: Explain one clear application route.

Evidence