In this issue:
There were 52 deaths in Somerset from drug poisoning in 2021, according to latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). This is an 18% increase from the 2020 figure and is nearly double the equivalent figure from a decade ago, when 28 drug poisoning deaths were recorded in 2011.
These figures represent an age-standardised mortality rate of 8.6 deaths per 100,000 people for the 3-year period of 2018-2021. This put Somerset in line with the South West region as a whole, and above the figure for England (7.9 deaths per 100,000).
Within Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton area had the highest rate of mortality from drug poisoning with 10.4 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by Sedgemoor (10.2), Mendip (7.1), and South Somerset (6.7).
The rate of drug poisoning deaths is much higher in males that females. Male deaths from drug poisoning occurred at a rate of 13.1 per 100,000 persons, compared to 4.3 per 100,000 females.
For the full dataset, see: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/
The number of individuals receiving jobseekers support through Universal Credit (UC) in Somerset continue to decrease month-on-month according to latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The figure for July 2022 was 7,820, the 17th consecutive monthly drop.
The latest figure remains higher that the pre pandemic figure of 7,370 in March 2020 but lower than the peak figure of 16,935 in August 2020.
For the full dataset, see: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/?
The number of Regular Forces personnel based in Somerset has seen a small increase for the second successive year, to 3,240, in the latest count published by the Ministry of Defence (as of 1st April 2022).
Numbers of MOD civilian personnel in Somerset have also seen a slight increase. On 1st April 2022, there were 1,450 civilian personnel located in the county, based on Full Time Equivalents (FTEs).
As of 31 March 2021, there were 7,712 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), according to figures from the Ministry of Defence. Of these, 7,175 were veterans.
South Somerset is the district with the highest number of veterans (3,448), followed by Somerset West & Taunton (1,693), Sedgemoor (1,037), and Mendip (997).
Numbers of armed forces pension/compensation recipients in the county has been increasing slightly year on year, with a 2.6% increase since the 2021 figure.
For the full dataset, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/location-of-armed-forces-pension-and-compensation-recipients-2022
Latest statutory homelessness statistics have been published by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Findings include:
For the full dataset, see: www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics
Overall numbers of licensed taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) in Somerset have declined in latest annual statistics from the Department for Transport.
As of 31 March 2022, there were 527 taxis and 283 private hire vehicles in Somerset. Compared to the same point a year earlier, numbers of taxis declined by 1%, while numbers of private hire vehicles are unchanged.
Compared to five years ago, numbers of taxis have declined by 22%, while numbers of PHVs have decreased by 16%. The number of wheelchair accessible taxis in Somerset has dropped by 63% over this period, from 244 in 2017, to 91 in 2022.
Approximately 17% of taxis and 7% of private hire vehicles in Somerset are wheelchair accessible. Nationally, 53% of all taxis and 2% of PHVs are wheelchair accessible.
For the full dataset, see: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/taxi-and-private-hire-vehicle-statistics-england-2022
We have undertaken some further analysis on the first results from the 2021 Census. These results included rounded population estimates for England and Wales, and are available at Local Authority district level, and can be broken down by sex and age.
This supplementary analysis compares the population numbers from the 2021 census with the population estimates and future projections which are published annually by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These figures from the ONS are used to provide insight into population changes between census years, and to give an indication of possible future trends in populations.
The total population estimate for Somerset in 2021 according to the Census results is nearly 8,000 (1.37%) higher than the latest ONS estimate, published for mid-2020.
Whilst the latest ONS population estimates appear to have under-estimated the Somerset population, the latest population projections published by the ONS appear remarkably accurate. The latest projection for Somerset’s 2021 population was based on the ONS mid-2018 population estimates and put the Somerset population within 0.02% of the Census 2021 figure. Analysis suggests that the ONS estimates may have incorrectly estimated a slowing in population growth in Somerset in 2019 and 2020.
The analysis and further explanation can be seen here.
Our initial analysis of the first census data release with headline figures was published in the July edition of SINePost and can be viewed here.
The Office for National Statistics has published latest annual statistics on registered deaths from suicide. Findings include:
It should be noted that statistics on suicide are based on the year of death registration – because of registration delays, around half of these deaths will have occurred in the previous year.
For the full dataset, see: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/
And finally...
Please email AHolly@somerset.gov.uk
The number of cars and vans available for use by households in Somerset was 318,697 in 2011, an average of 14 cars per 10 households. Nationally, there were 12 cars per 10 households. - 2011 Census