SINePost newsletter - December 2017

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In this issue ...

1. Latest Small Area Population Estimates
2. Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings results
3. Business Activity, Size and Location data
4. Destinations of Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 pupils
5. Child Obesity statistics
6. Armed Forces Veterans
7. House Price per square metre and per room statistics
8. Fly-tipping statistics
9. Hate Crime statistics

The Office for National Statistics has published latest population estimates for small areas, including electoral wards, output areas (OAs, LSOAs, MSOAs) and National Parks, by age and sex. The figures relate to estimated usual resident populations on 30 June 2016 (‘mid-2016’): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/small-area-population-estimates-in-england-and-wales-mid-2016

The estimates can be useful in service planning and as denominators for the calculation of various local rates and indicators.

The figures also reveal:

• Of Somerset’s 138 electoral wards, 100 have seen a population increase since the 2011 Census and 36 have seen a population decrease (of which two-thirds are rural wards).
• There are now 11 wards in Somerset in which at least one-in-three of the population are aged 65 or over. Seven of these 11 are in West Somerset.
• One ward (Minehead North) now has more residents aged 65 or over than it has ‘working age’ residents (aged 16-64).

2.  Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings results

Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees living in Somerset increased by 6% to £513 in 2017 in provisional estimates from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). The equivalent earnings figure for people working in Somerset (based on ‘place of work’ rather than ‘place of residence’) was lower, at £484, suggesting a ‘leakage’ of Somerset workers to higher value jobs outside the county.

For Somerset residents, the distribution of earnings in 2017 saw the bottom 10% of full-time employees earn less than £316 per week. At the other end of the distribution, the top 10% of full-time employees earned more than £940 per week. The bottom of the distribution continues to see the largest year-on-year increases, likely due to the introduction of the National Living Wage.

In 2017 the gender pay gap (for median hourly earnings) for full-time employees was 20% for Somerset residents, compared to a UK average of 9%. It may be noted that these figures do not show differences in rates of pay for comparable jobs, but are affected by factors such as the proportion of men and women in different types of occupations.

See: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours

The number of businesses (enterprises) in Somerset increased to 24,360 in 2017 according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, a rise of 350 businesses on the 2016 total.

The figures also reveal:

• 78% of Somerset businesses employ fewer than five people, and 90% employ fewer than ten people.
• Taunton Deane has the largest concentration of medium and larger businesses in the county, with 11% employing more than 10 people.
• Somerset’s largest sectors in terms of number of businesses continue to be: agriculture, forestry and fishing (16%), professional, scientific and technical (14%) and construction (13%).

 See: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation

4.  Destinations of Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 pupils

The proportion of state-funded mainstream pupils in Somerset going into sustained education, training or employment after Key Stage 4 (GCSE or equivalent) remained at 95% in 2015/16, in provisional annual figures from the Department for Education.  This proportion was marginally above the national average (of 94%).

Disadvantaged students (those attracting the pupil premium) continue to be less likely to progress than their peers: 87% of disadvantaged students in Somerset were recorded in a sustained education or employment/training destination after Key Stage 4, compared to 96% for all other students.

The proportion of Somerset young people going into sustained education, employment or training the year after Key Stage 5 (A-level or equivalent) was 89%, below the England average of 91%. The proportion of Somerset young people specifically going into an education setting was 64%, compared to 72% nationally.

Overall, 41% of students from state-funded mainstream schools and colleges in Somerset went to a higher education institution in 2015/16, well below the national proportion of 51%.

See: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/destinations-of-ks4-and-ks5-pupils-2016

Somerset saw an increase in child obesity in 2016/17 in annual results from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). This increase mirrored a national upward trend.

In summary, for 2016/17:

• In Reception Year (age 4-5 years), 22.3% of Somerset children measured were either overweight or obese. This percentage was below both South West (23.1%) and England (22.6%) averages.
• In Year 6 (age 10-11 years), three in ten children (30.3%) were overweight or obese, lower than the national (34.2%) average but slightly higher than the regional average (30.1%).
• Although not statistically significant, the highest proportions of children with excess weight occurred in Sedgemoor, and the lowest in Mendip.

See: https://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30113

6.  Armed Forces Veterans

As at 31 March 2017, there were 7,307 Somerset residents in receipt of a pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS), an ongoing war pension under the War Pensions Scheme (WPS) and /or compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS). Of these, 6,825 were veterans.

The data, published by the Ministry of Defence, indicates that almost half of Somerset veterans live in South Somerset (3,352 veterans), with Taunton Deane the next most common local authority area (1,212), followed by Sedgemoor (974), Mendip (960) and West Somerset (327).

Between 2016 and 2017 the number of veterans in Somerset increased by approximately 1%.

See: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/location-of-armed-forces-pension-and-compensation-recipients-2017

New data produced by the Office for National Statistics shows that average house prices per square metre in Somerset in 2016 ranged from £1,964 in Sedgemoor to £2,421 in Mendip. Figures for all Somerset districts were below South West and England averages (£2,478 and £2,473 respectively). Figures are available for each year from 2004 to 2016:

www.ons.gov.uk/releases/housepricepersquaremeterandhousepriceperroomenglandandwales2004to2016

Since 2004, Mendip has seen the biggest increase in average cost per square metre (up 39%) and West Somerset the smallest increase (up 21%).

A second dataset indicates that average house price per habitable room (which excludes bathrooms conservatories, kitchens and utility rooms) in 2016 ranged from £45,386 in Sedgemoor to £57,000 in Mendip.

8.  Fly-tipping statistics

The total number of fly-tipping incidents recorded by local authorities in Somerset has declined to its lowest level since 2010/11, in annual figures published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra): www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england

There were 4,889 incidents in 2016/17, compared to 5,261 in 2014/15. Nationally, fly-tipping incidences increased (by 7%) over the same period.

At a district level, Mendip continues to have the highest rate of recorded fly-tipping incidences, with 16 per 1,000 population. Sedgemoor had the next highest rate (10 per 1,000 population), followed by South Somerset (7 per 1,000), Taunton Deane (6 per 1,000) and West Somerset (4 per 1,000).

Over half of incidents in Somerset (59%) involved household waste (comprising black bags or other household waste). Consistent with previous years, the most common place for fly-tipping to occur was on highways (73% of incidences).

There were 2,877 hate crimes recorded in the Avon and Somerset police force area during 2016/17 according to figures from the Home Office, an increase of 46% on the 1,966 hate crimes recorded in 2015/16.

Avon and Somerset police saw a 7% increase in hate crime between 2014/15 and 2015/16, which was below the increase seen regionally and nationally (14% and 19% respectively). However the increase of 46% between 2015/16 and 2016/17 exceeded the regional and national figures (32% and 29% respectively).

Nationally, the increase over the last year is thought to reflect both a genuine rise in hate crime around the time of the EU referendum and also due to ongoing improvements in crime recording by the police.

The majority of hate crimes in Avon and Somerset in 2016/17 were motivated by race (67%), with sexual orientation and disability (both 12%) being the next most common motivating factors. Nationally, 74% of hate crime is motivated by race.

See: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2016-to-2017

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