Rotherham 2008 State of the Borough
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Appendix 1 Rotherham 2008 State of the Borough A Statistical Portrait Introduction Rotherham Council and its partner agencies need to develop plans and policies, and deliver services to maintain and improve the quality of life for all citizens in the Borough, ensuring that their needs are met. Together with its partner organisations, the Council needs to respond to a wide range of external influences and pressures which affect the way that services are designed and delivered. Government policy and performance management requirements have a significant influence on local priorities, as well as what is happening elsewhere in the region and nationally. To ensure that local services meet the needs of Rotherham residents, the Council needs to gather detailed information about conditions in the Borough so it can respond effectively and advise partners and communities. It is also essential that the Council monitors how conditions are changing over time to help with longer term planning. A good example is the changing age structure of the population which means that there will be fewer young people and growing numbers of people in the oldest age groups. Knowledge of these changes means that it is possible to plan for service changes which may be required and anticipate their impact on the local community and economy. This document draws out key facts from information gathered by the Council and partner organisations to provide an overview of the current State of the Borough and some indication of expected changes. Although it draws on past trends, this report is largely a snapshot based on available statistical data, which will be updated over time. State of the Borough is one of a range of documents produced by the Council’s Corporate Research Team in the Chief Executive’s Office. For more detailed information on any of the topics covered in this document or other related documents, please see the Council website at: http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/graphics/YourCouncil/Policy+Research+and+Co nsultation/_Research.htm Alternatively, the Corporate Research Team can assist with more detailed area based information or provide service or agency contact details for help with more detailed requests about particular topics. 2 Rotherham MBC Corporate Research Team Miles Crompton [email protected] 01709 82 2763 Laura Hunt [email protected] 01709 82 2787 Francesca Panizzi [email protected] 01709 82 2763 David Alexander [email protected] 01709 82 2787 A Profile of Rotherham Rotherham is one of four metropolitan districts which together make up South Yorkshire. Rotherham is 7 miles from Sheffield and 15 miles from Doncaster, and covers 109 square miles or 283 square kilometres. Most of Rotherham’s population live in urban areas but large parts of the Borough are rural with half of the land in the Borough being used for agriculture. During the Nineteenth Century Rotherham was transformed from a small market town serving an agricultural hinterland into a major industrial centre for coal mining and steel making. Large scale industrial development resulted in the population growing rapidly from 17,000 in 1801 to 120,000 in 1901. The population continued to grow during the Twentieth Century and is now estimated at 253,400 (2007). Most of Rotherham’s traditional industries of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries have now vanished although there remains a major steelworks at Aldwarke and a coal mine at Maltby. After a long period of decline during the 1980s and 1990s, new industries have developed and economic growth has boosted the employment rate from 67% in 1998 to 72% in 2007. Over the same period, the number of jobs located in Rotherham have grown by 29%, the highest increase in Yorkshire and the Humber. Rotherham’s average unemployment rate during 2007 was 5.1%, below the national average of 5.4% and the regional rate of 5.6%. The majority of Rotherham’s residents live in urban areas, about 50% in the Rotherham Urban Area (around Rotherham Town Centre) and 38% in smaller towns such as Wath, Maltby and Dinnington. Rural areas, mainly in the south of the Borough contain 12% of the population. Black and Minority Ethnic groups make up 6.2% of the Borough population, with those of Pakistani or Kashmiri origin being the largest of these (2.1%). Inner urban Rotherham has a very diverse mixture of people and cultures. 3 Rotherham has excellent transport links to the rest of the country, being served by the M1 motorway which provides access to Leeds and Nottingham, and the M18 which gives access to the Humber ports. There is an extensive network of rail and bus services, providing good links with Sheffield and other neighbouring towns. There are five airports within a 50 mile radius of Rotherham, including the relatively new “Robin Hood” airport only 20 miles away, near Doncaster. Rotherham Town Centre and Parkgate Retail World are the main shopping centres in the Borough and a wide range of shopping is available at the Meadowhall Centre, just outside the Borough boundary. Rotherham Town Centre has attractive pedestrianised areas and a redeveloped Centenary Market but has suffered from a decline in trade over recent years. The Rotherham Renaissance initiative has started to transform the Town Centre with major regeneration investment taking place over the next 20 years to provide new office, retail, leisure and civic facilities. Rotherham also has a major visitor attraction at the Magna Science Adventure Centre based in a former steelworks. The Borough also has some excellent country parks such as Rother Valley and Thrybergh as well as Clifton Park and Museum located in central Rotherham. Recent years have seen a major transformation in the Borough driven mainly by a growing and resilient economy. Job creation in Rotherham has resulted in an extra 14,600 people going into work between 2000 and 2006, increasing at a rate well above the national and regional averages. There have also been wider improvements, for example increased life expectancy, rising prosperity, improved educationalrd attainment and falling deprivatithon (with the Borough moving from 63 most deprived district in 2004 to 68 in 2007 according to Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation). However, there remains much work to be done to ensure that everyone in the Borough can benefit from the social, economic and environmental progress, and improving quality of life. Population Introduction The population of the area covered by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough grew rapidly from 17,191 in 1801 to 120,000 in 1901 and had reached 253,400 by 2007. The population has been growing since 2001 and is expected to continue to rise gradually over the coming years. Population Trends Office for National Statistics th(ONS) estimates show that the population of Rotherham was 253,400 at 30 June 2007, an increase of 0.4% (1,100) since 2004 and 1.5% (3,800) since 2002. Whilst the total population of Rotherham has been relatively stable in recent decades, the age structure has been changing far more, broadly in line with national trends. 4 Rotherham has 89,100 people aged 50 or over, 35.2% of the population, a proportion which has been and continues to rise. The most significant change has been in the oldest age groups, with a 63% increase in the 75+ population and a 158% (3,000) increase in the 85+ population since 1981. Between 1981 and 2007 there was a reduction of 26% in the 10 to 14 age group and a decline of 19% in the 20 to 29 age group. An important factor behind this trend has been young people leaving the Borough to study or work. Middle aged groups have increased, notably those aged 40 to 49 which has seen a 32% rise. Migration and Natural Change Migration data used by ONS to calculate Mid Year Population Estimates shows that 91% migration to and from Rotherham has been within the UK (2001 – 2007). In 2006/07 7,000 people moved into the Borough and 7,500 left. The net outflow was countered by natural change whereby there were 500 more births than deaths. The growth in Rotherham’s population between 2006 and 2007 was only 100, the same as the net inflow of people from outside the UK. Population Projections The most recent population projections suggest that the population of Rotherham will increase by 6% to 271,100 by 2018 and 286,300 by 2028 due to rising life expectancy, natural increase and migration into the Borough. The number of people aged over 65 is projected to increase by 26% over the next ten years, from 41,800 to 52,600 in 2018. The over 85 age group is expected to increase the most, by 30% from 5,000 to 6,500 by 2018. Since 1981 the number of 0 to 14 year olds has fallen by 19.7% to 46,000 in 2007. However, the number of children aged under 10 is projected to increase by 10% between 2008 and 2018, rising from 29,900 in to 33,000. Gender Of the 253,400 people in Rotherham in 2007, 129,400 (51%) are female and 124,000 (49%) are male, mirroring national averages. Males tend to outnumber females up to the age of 25, whilst the numbers of men and women in their 50s are almost equal. In other age groups women are in the majority, particularly evident in the oldest age groups. There are 3.6 women for every man aged over 90, reflected in the fact that there are two and half times as many women in residential and nursing homes than men. Local Population Growth & Decline Some areas of Rotherham have declined in population since 2001, notably areas of central Rotherham such as Canklow where housing has been demolished and there has been little new housing development.