In this issue:
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) attended 4,293 fire incidents in 2022/23, according to latest figures from the Home Office. This is 16% higher than the previous year’s figure of 3,708 and is the highest figure and first annual increase since 2018/19. Numbers of fire incidents have generally decreased over the past 20 years.
The increase in the most recent period can largely be attributed to an increase in the number of ‘secondary fires’, of which there were 1,966 incidents in 2022/23, 34% higher than the previous year. A secondary fire is generally a small outdoor fire which does not involve people or property. They include refuse fires, grassland fires, and fires in derelict buildings. The number of secondary fires was highest in the months of July, August and September, with this quarter accounting for around half of all secondary fire incidents for the year. This was the second most secondary fire incidents across any quarter on record, and the highest since the first quarter of 2007/08.
The summer of 2022/23 also saw the second highest number of outdoor primary fires in any quarter on record, with 102. These are incidents which occur in primary outdoor locations (aircraft, boats, trains and outdoor structures such as post or telephone boxes, bridges, tunnels etc.), or those in non-primary outdoor locations which involve casualties or at least five pumping appliances to attend.
DSFR also attended 6,606 fire false alarms in 2022/23. This is the highest number of fire false alarms since 2008/09. There were an additional 6,974 non-fire incidents, giving a total of 17,873 incidents for the year, the highest number since 2017/18.
For the full dataset, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables
There were a total of 98 permanent exclusions of pupils from state-funded primary, secondary and special schools in Somerset during the 2021/22 academic year, according to figures published by the Department for Education. This represented 0.13%% of all pupils, double the rate from the previous year, and above the national average rate of 0.05% of pupils.
During 2021/22, there were a total of 8,185 fixed-period exclusions in Somerset state-funded schools, representing a rate of 11.39 per 100 pupils on roll. This was above the national average rate of 6.91, and an increase from the previous year’s rate of 7.78.
Exclusions data can be explored interactively at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england
There are a total of 81,044 school pupils in Somerset attending state-funded and independent schools, according to latest figures from the Department for Education.
The figures indicate that 10.4% of pupils (8,441 pupils) attend an independent school, representing the second highest rate in the South West region (behind only Bath and North East Somerset).
20.3% of state-funded primary school pupils and 19.7% of secondary school pupils in Somerset are eligible for Free School Meals. These figures have increased over recent years, from 10.6% and 9.6% respectively in 2015/16. The percentages of FSM eligible students in Somerset are slightly higher than the regional figures for the South West but are below the national figures for England.
To explore the data, see: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics
The number of conceptions to women aged under 18 in Somerset increased in 2021. This is the first annual increase in the past 15-years. This is according to newly published figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which show that national rates also increased in 2021. The rate of conceptions to women aged under 18 in Somerset is lower than the rate for England & Wales, but higher than the rate for the South West region.
There were a total of 111 conceptions to women aged under 18 in Somerset, representing a rate of 11.9 per 1,000 women in the age group. Data is still published for the former District council areas and shows that within Somerset rates were highest in Sedgemoor – at 17.0 per 1,000 – followed by South Somerset (11.6 per 1,000), Somerset West & Taunton (10.6 per 1,000), and Mendip (9.1 per 1,000).
The overall conception rate in Somerset decreased in 2021 for the fifth successive year, to a rate of 70.6 per 1,000 women – a total of 6,420 conceptions. This rate is above that of the South West region (64.6 per 1,000) but below the rate for England & Wales as a whole (71.5 per 1,000).
For the full dataset, see: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/conceptionandfertilityrates/
The number of live births in Somerset decreased in 2022, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). There were a total of 4,817 live births during 2022, down from 5,063 births during 2021. The latest figure remains 16% lower than a recent peak of 5,764 births during 2011.
Trends in numbers of births and fertility rates in Somerset are mirroring national trends, with 2022 representing a continuation of a long term downward trend. The 2021 TFR of 1.75 children per woman for Somerset is higher than the England and Wales rate of 1.61.
For the full dataset, see: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets
There were 789 births in Somerset in 2022 to non-UK born mothers, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. This figure represents 16.4% of all births in Somerset in this period, an increase from 14.9% in the previous year. Nationally, 30.3% of all births in England and Wales were to non-UK born mothers in 2022.
Of the 789 Somerset babies born to non-UK mothers during 2022, a total of 460 were to mothers born in Europe; 181 were to mothers from the Middle East and Asia; 97 from Africa; and 51 from the rest of the world.
Within Somerset, the former Sedgemoor District council had the highest proportion of births to non-UK born mothers, with 20.3% of births, whilst the former Mendip District council area had the lowest proportion, with 11.6%.
See: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths
New updates to the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ (OHID) Fingertips public health data tool show an estimated 66.3% of adults in Somerset as being classified as overweight or obese in 2021/22. This is higher than the previous year’s figure of 62.1% but lower than a peak of 67.6% in 2017/18. The estimated rate for Somerset is above than the national average of 63.8%.
Looking at just those who are classified as obese, the figure for Somerset is estimated at 26.3%. This is again slightly higher than the national figure (25.9%), and again represents an increase on the previous year’s figure.
To explore the data interactively, see: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/national-child-measurement-programme/data#page/1/gid/1938133368/pat/6/par/E12000009/ati/402/are/E10000027/cid/4/tbm/1
Newly published estimates from the Department for Transport (DfT) show traffic volumes in Somerset in 2022 remained below those seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. The volume of traffic on Somerset’s roads in 2022 was 6.7% higher than the previous year, but remains 6.4% lower than in 2019.
The estimates from the DfT show a total of 4,403 million vehicle miles were travelled in Somerset in 2022. The figure for 2021 was 4,128 million miles, whilst in 2019 it was estimated at 4,704 million miles. Prior to the pandemic, traffic volumes had risen for 8 consecutive years.
Nationally, vehicle miles travelled are estimated to be 4.4% lower in 2022 than in 2019.
For the full dataset, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/road-traffic-statistics
Latest statutory homelessness statistics have been published by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). These figures provide information about those who local authorities have a duty to accommodate as they are homeless through no fault of their own, eligible for assistance, and have a ‘priority need’. This primarily includes those with children or a vulnerability, including disability or mental ill-health.
Findings include:
For the full dataset, see: www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics
The Office for National Statistics has published latest ‘small area’ statistics on house prices and sales, for the 12 months to December 2022. The small area data covers electoral wards, Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) and Middle-layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs).
At MSOA level (small areas typically comprising around 3,000 households), the median price paid for a residential property in the year to September 2021 ranged from £167,500 in Yeovil Town Centre to £584,000 in Pilton, Butleigh and Alhampton in Mendip area.
The biggest annual change from December 2021 to December 2022 was seen in Dunster, Dulverton and Exmoor, which saw an increase in median price paid of 31% to £399,756, followed by Stratton, Holcombe & Highbury in Mendip area with a 29.5% increase over the same period.
9 small areas had a lower median price paid in the 12 months to December 2022 than the previous 12 months, of which the biggest decrease was seen in Stoford and the Cokers in South Somerset where the 2022 median was 11.7% lower than in 2021.
For the full dataset, see: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housepricestatisticsforsmallareas/
And finally...
Please email AHolly@somerset.gov.uk
76% of Somerset’s businesses have fewer than 5 employees