Issues and SWOT

strength

Maintain the repaired Steel Road

A damaged busy road section has been resurfaced.

Timely maintenance helps preserve everyday routes.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £992 a month (August 2026) in North Northamptonshire council area. This is £467 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 11.7% in Barton Seagrave & Burton Latimer to 41.2% in Kettering Central — a gap of 29.5 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

4.9% of people reported bad or very bad health in North Northamptonshire council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.8% in Gretton & Weldon to 6.8% in Kingswood — a gap of 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.

weakness

Address Wellingborough’s identified town-centre needs

The council’s review prioritised Wellingborough for a coordinated plan.

Individual sites need an agreed direction and practical funding.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2

opportunity

Put Grosvenor House to sustained community use

The refurbishment is intended to provide cultural and creative accommodation.

Operating arrangements matter as much as construction.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

18.2% of people in North Northamptonshire council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 10.8% in Victoria to 24.7% in Oundle — a gap of 13.9 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

26.7% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in North Northamptonshire council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 13.5% in Oundle to 29.9% in Kingswood — a gap of 16.4 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 Northamptonshire 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 8.7% in Gretton & Weldon to 29.4% in Avondale Grange — a gap of 20.8 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 later towns visible while the first plan is delivered

The council chose sequential plans because staff and budgets are limited.

Other towns should know when work will reach them.

Evidence