SINePost newsletter - May 2013

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In this issue ...

1. Household Projections
2. Pedal Power
3. Fly Tipping
4. Claimant Count and Job Density
5. Anti-Social Behaviour
6. Cancer amongst Teenagers and Young People
7. Educational Attainment at 19
8. UK Peace Index
9. Latest Crime Figures
10. Forthcoming Statistical Releases

1.  Household Projections

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) periodically publishes projections of the numbers of households in each local authority, region and nation. These are produced using statistical models using the most recent Census data (including details of household types) and mid-year estimates of populations.

The latest projections to 2021, published in April 2013, are that the number of households in Somerset will increase by around 21,000 (9.3%) to 249,000. For more details, please see the summary for Somerset on our website at http://www.somersetintelligence.org.uk/household-estimates-and-projections.html.

The website also features a new Families and Households summary based on 2011 Census data for Somerset, which is available at http://www.somersetintelligence.org.uk/census-families.html. More Census briefings will follow later in the month.

2. Pedal Power

May is National Walking Month, but the Department for Transport (DfT) has just chosen to publish a statistical release on Local Area Cycling Statistics. It combines a summary of previously released Active People Survey data and 2011 Census results. 

Taunton Deane is above average for cycling at least five times a week, as well as for cycling to work. The 2011 Census tells us that almost 10,000 Somerset adults aged 16-74 usually cycled to work, the majority living in Taunton Deane and Sedgemoor districts.

The DCMS and Sport England are consulting on proposed changes to the way they measure sport, including cycling, in the Active People (APS) and Taking Part (TP) surveys. Please click here for a summary of the responses to last year's initial consultation, to which Somerset Intelligence contributed.

3.  Fly-Tipping

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has released summary data on the number and type of incidents of illegally deposited waste, the cost of dealing with them and the actions taken against fly tipping in every local authority in England for 2011-12. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fly-tipping-in-england 

The number of incidents reported to the five district councils in Somerset rose by 54% since 2010-11 to 5,687. For the second year running, more were reported in Mendip than anywhere else in the county.

4.  Claimant Count and Job Density

In March 2013, the number of people claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance in Somerset fell by 9% year-on-year to 7,315. The corresponding decrease for Great Britain was smaller, at 2%.

New data for Jobs density have also been released. This indicator is defined as the number of jobs in an area divided by the resident population aged 16-64 in that area. For example, a job density of 1.0 would mean that there is one job for every resident aged 16-64.  Note that total jobs is a workplace-based measure. For more details, please see: http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/732.aspx

Taunton Deane’s job density of 0.91 is one of the highest in the South West region, while Sedgemoor’s 0.63 is one of the lowest.

5.  Anti-Social Behaviour

Using the 2011-12 Crime Survey for England and Wales and 2012 Commercial Victimisation Survey, the ONS has produced a ‘short story’ on perceived anti-social behaviour (ASB). http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/short-story-on-anti-social-behaviour--2011-12/index.html 

While the feature does not focus on local variations or trends, Avon and Somerset Police data shows that actual ASB incident calls to the Police are decreasing. Between 2011 and 2012, the number of reports in Somerset dipped by 14%.

6.  Cancer amongst Teenagers and Young People

Public Health England, in association with Cancer Research UK, has published a new report which summarises the most recent statistical and epidemiological information for teenagers and young adults cancer in the UK. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/teenage-and-young-adult-cancer/ 

Although the data are not available below country level (e.g. England), there is some fascinating information about incidence of different types of cancers amongst this age group. Charts and data can also be downloaded.

7.  Educational Attainment at 19

The Department for Education (DfE) has released data on educational attainment at 19, using matched data from various sources, including Level 2 and Level 3 measures by local authority. Please click here for the full dataset.

 While schools figures have shown in recent years a slight under-performance for Somerset compared with the national average in Level 2 (5 GCSEs at A*-C) attainment, in 2011-12 a relatively high proportion of Somerset’s 19 year-olds had achieved Level 2 at English and Maths by the time they had reached the age of 19 who had not done so at the age of 16.

8. UK Peace Index

There has been considerable media coverage of the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) report, ‘UK Peace Index’. The IEP used five violent crime-related indicators to calculate an index for each local authority on the UK. The report also includes a statistical examination of social factors, the cost of violence, and how things have changed over the past ten years. 

Lewisham (in London) was scored as the least peaceful, and Broadland (Norfolk) the most peaceful areas in the country. All five districts in Somerset were in the ‘most peaceful’ 40% of areas (those with relatively low indices), and South and West Somerset each appeared in the top 20%.

The full report is available to read here: http://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/UK-Peace-Index-2013-IEP-Report.pdf

9. Latest Crime Figures

The IEP report was followed closely by publication by the ONS of the ‘Crime in England and Wales’ report for the year ending December 2012. Nationally, police recorded 8% fewer crimes in 2012 than in 2011. The estimated decrease in crimes from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), based on people’s perceptions, was 5%. 

Avon and Somerset mirrored the national picture in that all main crime categories showed a fall in recorded offences, year-on-year.

For more details, please go to the ONS website:

10. Forthcoming Statistical Releases

The following datasets are due for release at sub-regional geographies during May:

• Count of Gypsy and Traveller Caravans - January 2013 (DCLG)
• Short-term Migrants to Local Authorities (ONS)
• Further Detailed Characteristics from 2011 Census for Local Authorities (ONS)
• Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP Profiles (ONS)

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