THE ANNUAL State of the District report has been released for Stratford – and many findings will come as no surprise to residents.
The district boasts an older population, higher house prices, higher rents, lower crime, higher earnings and higher life expectancy when compared to much of Warwickshire and England.
One significant finding was the district’s population has risen by 11.8 per cent between 2011 and 2021. This is the third highest population increase for all authorities in the West Midlands region.
Only Rugby and Wychavon grew more – by 14.3 per cent and 13.3 per cent respectively.
The population of the district is heavily weighted towards the older end of the scale. Over 65s make up just over 25 per cent of the population, with 60 per cent aged between 18 to 64 years, and 15 per cent under 18-years-old. There are significantly fewer children and younger adults living in the district compared to the West Midlands region and England as a whole.
The median age of the district in mid-2021 was 48.3 years, while the England median average age was 40.5 years. This places Stratford as the 56th oldest authority for median age population, out of 372 authorities across the UK.
According to the Valuation Office list, there were 65,291 properties in the district at the end of March 2023. Of these, the most common dwelling type is a detached house.
The housing stock available does not follow the same pattern as Warwickshire or England. The district has more detached houses and bungalows than the Warwickshire or England average, and fewer flats/maisonettes, and terraced properties.
The median house price for the district was £365,000 in the year to end- December 2022, well above the Warwickshire median of £285,000, and England median of £286,000.
The median monthly private rent payable in the district in the year to end-March 2023 was £795. This was the third highest rent across the West Midlands, with Solihull and Warwick higher at £850 and £870 respectively.
The total number of recorded crimes in the district in the year to June 2022 was 8,178. This is a rate of 63 crimes per 1,000 people, which is the lowest rate across Warwickshire. This does however reflects a rise on the previous year when the rate was 56 crimes per 1,000 people.
The most prevalent crimes were violent and sexual offences.
People in Stratford district are generally in better health than average. Life expectancy in 2021 for women was 84.8 years (83.1 years in Warwickshire) and for men it was 81.2 years (79.3 years in Warwickshire).
The median gross weekly earnings in 2022 for full time workers who live in the district was £732.80. This was higher than the average for the West Midlands at £613.30, and that for Great Britain at £642.20.
Manufacturing accounts for the largest number of jobs at 12,000, representing 17.32 per cent total jobs in the district. The wholesale and retail trade/repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles was the next largest sector in terms of jobs, with 10,000.
Tourism-related jobs are an important part of the district services sector. According to the 2021 Tourism Economic Impact Assessment, there were 6.628 tourism-related jobs in the district but this is much lower than previous years’ figures and is a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic which had a devastating impact on the tourism industry.
