In this issue:
Results from the 2021 Census reveals that there are 27,902 armed forces veterans living in Somerset. This is the first time that this information has been asked in the census.
The highest number of veterans live in the South Somerset district area, with 9,854, followed by Somerset West and Taunton with 7,923. Information on veterans is not currently available at any geography smaller than district level.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) are continuing to publish results from the 2021 Census and further analysis will take place as and when new data is available.
Latest research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests that nearly half (45%) of all adults nationwide were finding it difficult to afford their energy bills. This is based on responses to the ONS Opinion and Lifestyle Survey conducted between June and September.
Producing any reliable figures for Somerset is very difficult, but we can use these this national research to estimate the numbers that may be impacted in Somerset. These calculations suggest that there may be over 200,000 adults in Somerset who are having difficulty their energy bills, whilst nearly 150,000 might be finding it difficult to afford their rent or mortgage payments.
Further analysis on how the increased cost of living might be impacting different groups in Somerset can be viewed here.
The number of individuals receiving jobseekers support through Universal Credit (UC) in Somerset has been broadly stable over the past four months, according to latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The figure for October 2022 was 7,730, marginally higher than the September figure of 7,670.
The latest figure remains slightly higher that the pre-pandemic figure of 7,370 in March 2020 but is now much lower than the peak figure of 16,935 in August 2020.
For the full dataset, see: www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/
There were 4,117 hate crime offences recorded in the Avon and Somerset police force area during 2021/22 according to figures from the Home Office, an increase of 23% on the 3,351 hate crimes recorded in 2020/21. For England and Wales as a whole, recorded hate crime increased by 26% over the same period. The Avon and Somerset figure for 2021/22 represents an increase of over 43% compared to 2016/17.
Nationally, increases in police recorded hate crime in recent years have been driven by improvements in recording and better identification of what constitutes a hate crime.
Most hate crime in Avon and Somerset in 2021/22 was motivated by race (74%), with sexual orientation (16%) the next most common motivating factor, followed by disability (10%), religion (4%) and gender identity (2%). Nationally, 70% of hate crime was motivated by race.
When comparing to the previous year, hate crimes in Avon and Somerset relating to sexual orientation saw the greatest proportional increase, having risen by 43% from the previous year, to a total of 654 in 2021/22.
For the full dataset, see: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2021-to-2022
There are 24,995 business enterprises in Somerset as of March 2022, according to latest figures from an annual snapshot from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR). This is a marginal increase on the 2021 figure of 24,945.
78% of businesses in Somerset employ fewer than five people, with 90% employing fewer than ten people.
The industry sectors with the most businesses in Somerset are Agriculture, forestry & Fishing (12.9%), Construction (12.8%) and Professional, scientific & technical (11.2%). Although the total number of businesses in Somerset has increased over recent years, the number of businesses in the Professional, scientific & technical sector has fallen by over 300 (9%) since 2020, with several other industries also seeing a drop. On the other hand, there are now 235 more businesses in the Construction industry (+6.8%) and 205 more in the Transport and storage industry (+21.5%).
For the full dataset, see: www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/
There was an increase in the number of road accidents in Somerset in 2021, following a big drop in 2020, according to annual figures from the Department for Transport. The figures show a total of 735 reported road accidents in the county during 2021, compared with 637 in 2020. This represents a 15% annual increase, however is still significantly lower than the pre-pandemic figure of 994 in 2019.
The low number of accidents in 2020 and 2021 are likely influenced by the significant decrease in vehicle miles travelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns in both years.
Of the 735 accidents in 2021, a total of 24 were fatal, with a further 126 involving a serious injury.
For the full dataset, see: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/
Somerset has seen a decrease in child obesity in Reception-age children but an increase in Year 6 children according to latest annual results from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for 2021/22.
The last NCMP results at local authority level were published for 2019/20, with the 2020/21 collection being significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally there was little change in obesity amongst Reception-age children since 2019/20, but an increased prevalence amongst Year 6 children.
In summary, for the 2021/22 school year:
Nationally, analysis showed that obesity prevalence for children living in the most deprived areas was more than double that of those living in the least deprived areas.
For the full dataset, see: https://digital.nhs.uk/national-child-measurement-programme/2021-22-school-year
The proportion of state-funded mainstream pupils in Somerset going into sustained education, training or employment after Key Stage 4 (GCSE or equivalent) was 95% in 2020/21, in annual figures from the Department for Education. This proportion was marginally above the national average (of 94%). These figures are for pupils from state funded mainstream schools who left Key Stage 4 in 2019/20 and follows their destinations in 2020/21.
The proportion of Somerset young people going into sustained education, employment or training the year after Key Stage 5 (A-level or equivalent Level 3 qualification) was 85% in 2020/21, in line with the national average. The proportion of Somerset young people specifically going into an education setting was 46%, compared to 62% nationally.
Overall, 35% of students from state-funded mainstream schools and colleges in Somerset went to a higher education institution in 2020/21, well below the national proportion of 52%.
For the full dataset, see: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/destinations-of-key-stage-4-and-5-students-2021
Nearly 70% of adults in Somerset who have a physical or mental long term health condition are in employment, according to latest data from the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID). Data is based on the ONS Annual Population Survey for 2020/21 and shows that Somerset compares favourably against the national figure of 65.5%
The gap in employment rate between those with a long-term condition and the overall employment rate in Somerset is 7.6 percentage points, compared with 9.9 nationally.
Amongst adults in Somerset who are in receipt of long-term support for a learning disability, 4.8% are in employment. This is broadly in line with the national figure of 5.1%.
This data forms part of OHID’s Wider Determinants of Health tool, which can be explored interactively on the Fingertips platform:
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/wider-determinants/
And finally...
Please email AHolly@somerset.gov.uk
48% of the Somerset population live in a Rural area compared to 18% across England overall - Rurality