People People Residents Taking figures from the 2011 census and adjusting for proportion of residential part of parish/ward within the South West Peak LPS area we can give The South West Peak comprises all or part of a very close estimate of a resident population some 35 parishes or wards; 17 of those have of 12,814 people. Some 6,515 of those live in the more than 80% of their parish within the area. urban fringing wards of Buxton, Whaley Bridge, Despite the large number of parishes in the LPS Chapel-en-le-Frith and Macclesfield which area, the resident population is fairly low and together account for 6,673ha or 18.8% of the land highly dispersed. Whilst there are few centres of area. In the remaining rural 28,720ha, or 81.2% of population there is a strong sense of community, the land area, reside the remaining 6,299 people particularly in subdivisions of the area like the at a population density of 22 people per square Staffordshire Moorlands. kilometre. Figure Unit Total area of the SWP 35,393 ha Total population with adjustment for % or parish/ward in the SWP 12,814 no Total area of the above urban parts in the SWP 6,673 ha % urban parts 19 % People Urban population 6,515 no % urban population (urban parish/ward) 51 % Total area of rural parts in the SWP 28,720 ha % rural parts 81 % Total rural population (excluding Buxton, Whaley Bridge, 6,299 no Chapel-en-le-Frith, Macclesfield) % rural population (rural parish/ward) 49 % Population density urban 98 people/sqkm Population density rural 22 people/sqkm Looking at demographics, the most numerous Statistics, 2015). It should be noted that these are age group is the 45 to 59 year olds at 24% of classified independently of the Indices of Multiple the population, with the 30 to 44 age group Deprivation and should not be directly compared second at 18%. Under-18s make up 19% and at the with them. other end of the scale, 20% of the population is at retirement age of 65 and over compared to Educational attainment is also high, with the England average of 15.6%, so this area has a 47% of people over 16 having attained level 3 higher than usual proportion of retirement age qualifications or higher, that is A-levels, NVQ residents. level 3 or BTEC level 3 and above. In Stoke-on- Trent this figure is just 27% while the England The ethnic mix is unrepresentative of the country figure is 39%. average; here 96.6% of residents classified themselves as White British compared to the In terms of employment, the National Statistics England average of 79.8%. socio-economic classification of residents between 16 and 74 shows that the most numerous The standard of living is relatively high; using category is ‘lower managerial, administrative and indices of deprivation by dimension, 49% professional occupations’ closely followed by of households are deprived in one or more ‘small employers and own account workers’. Just dimension, with less than 1% deprived in all four 2% are categorised as never-worked or long- dimensions of employment, education, health term unemployed, comparing favourably with the & disability and housing. In contrast, figures for England figure of 5.6%. Stoke-on-Trent tell us that 66% of households are deprived in one or more dimension, while the England average is 57% (Office for National Ranger's Health Walk © PDNPA 55 People People National Statistics proportion of lower-income, semi-skilled workers Staffordshire Moorlands; these are predominantly of Edinburgh groups at various locations. The Socio-economic Category than the rest of the National Park. Across the based in the market town of Leek, but number challenging roads of the Staffordshire Moorlands Peak District, nearly 70% of staff employed seven on the list with a turnover in excess of are popular with touring and road cyclists. earned less than or equal to £20,000 p.a. £30m is Belle Engineering in Sheen employing Guided walks are led by the Peak District (Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce, 2005). 170 staff. National Park rangers, Cheshire East rangers, Staffordshire Moorlands walking group and Businesses in the Peak District are typically very private walking guides. small, with 75% employing fewer than five people. Neighbours Half of National Park residents commute outside The 2015 visitor survey conducted between the National Park for work whilst, conversely, an The South West Peak is flanked by some large May and August surveyed 489 visitors at six estimated 4 in 10 jobs are occupied by people urban conurbations, Greater Manchester to the sites in our area (shown on the map below). commuting into the National Park for work. This north-west and Stoke-on-Trent to the south, with The largest number of visitors (43%) originated reflects the complex interdependencies that the the smaller towns of Macclesfield on the western from the north-west region, with the east National Park economy has with neighbouring edge, Buxton on the eastern edge, Leek to the midlands and west midlands next most numerous. urban communities and market towns (PDNPA, south and Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge Few people were visiting from further afield. 2013). Local businesses, such as village shops or to the north. See map overleaf. pubs, are an essential component of communities. Nevertheless, these businesses are often hard to The respective population sizes Visitors were asked a series of questions sustain due to a wider range of goods and more of these areas are: gathering information about the nature of competitive prices in larger shops, coupled with their visit. Of the 489 people surveyed only 1. Higher Managerial, 5. Lower Supervisory and the high number of residents who commute to Greater Manchester 2,732,854 (Office for 39 had heard the term ‘South West Peak’ as 12% Administrative and 6% Technical Occupations Professional Occupations work outside their community (PDNPA, 2013). National Statistics, 2015) a descriptor of the landscape area they were 6. Semi Routine 1.1 Large Emplyers and 9% Occupations Stoke-on-Trent 249,000 (Stoke City visiting, compared to 322 and 288 who knew the 3% Higher Managerial and Administrative Occupations 7. Routine Part of the spa town of Buxton is included in the Council, 2016) terms White Peak and Dark Peak respectively, 7% Occupations LPS area (largely as a quirk of its geology); it is Macclesfield 57,120 (City Population, describing the other two main landscape 1.2 Higher Professsional 9% Occupations 8. Never Worked and well-served by restaurants, cafes, hotels, shops, 2016) character areas of the Peak District. This could 2% Long-Term Unemployeed 2. Lower Managerial, recreation and cultural facilities. The town attracts Buxton 24,000 (High Peak be in large part due to the existence of the 19% Administrative and Not Classified and retains a highly skilled workforce thanks to Borough Council, 2015) Ordnance Survey outdoor leisure maps for the Professional Occupations 5% the quality of the surrounding countryside. Leek 20,000 (Leek Town Dark Peak and White Peak, yet none for the South 3. Intermediate L15 Full-Time Students 9% Occupations 5% Council, 2016) West Peak which is included in the main on the 4. Small Emplyers and Own L17 Not Classifiable Buxton has a significant knowledge-based Chapel-en-le-Frith 6,500 (High Peak Borough White Peak map. 14% Account Workers 0% for Other Reasons economy with more than twice the national Council, 2015) average of the working population involved in Whaley Bridge 6,476 (Office for National Just over half of those surveyed visited regularly creative industries or employed in firms that Statistics, 2015) (at least monthly); in planning their visits 39% However, the national statistics about the invest significantly in research and development. used previous knowledge of the area, while 19% general population hide some of the poverty and Key employers such as the National Health and Collectively these towns and cities place over used maps or GPS and 21% used the internet deprivation experienced by rural communities. Safety Laboratories and the local quarrying 3 million people within striking distance of the or social media. Walking was the most popular The average farm business income (the financial industry, plus the University of Derby’s Buxton South West Peak and yet it is relatively low on the activity (57%) with cycling/mountain biking return to all unpaid labour - farmers and spouses, campus, mean that the knowledge-based visitor radar. coming second (10%). Most visitors (75%) non-principal partners and their spouses and economy is significant (High Peak Borough were day visitors and for those that stayed family workers and capital invested in the farm Council, 2015). overnight, caravans were the most popular form business, including land and buildings) for grazing Visitors of accommodation. 95% of visitors were white. livestock farms in the Less Favoured Area in The town is the source of Buxton water, now A range of age groups visited from under 15s to 2014/15 was £14,600. The agricultural community bottled and distributed by Nestle. Key industrial Visitors from outside the South West Peak over 65s, the least represented was the 16-24 is experiencing significant hidden deprivation, employers include: Tarmac Buxton Lime & generally visit key well-known sites including the year-old age group at only 5%. illustrated by a decline in income, social exclusion, Cement (lime products, cement and cement Roaches, Tittesworth Water, Macclesfield Forest, disadvantage in the housing market and limited products), Lhoist (lime products), Cemex UK the Goyt Valley and Lyme Park or other small education opportunities (Syson-Nibbs, 2001). Ltd Dove Holes (aggregates), Health and Safety attractions such as Blaze Farm in Wildboarclough Executive Laboratory (UK Government agency), which offers farm-made ice creams, a tea room, Baseefa (research on hazardous atmospheres, nature trails and school visits.