Issues and SWOT

strength

Keep Bootle’s events programme connected to local businesses

Salt and Tar continued through a temporary venue during Strand works.

Proposed response: Make venue changes and travel details clear.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £938 a month (August 2026) in Sefton council area. This is £521 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.1% in Formby West to 42.4% in Duke's — a gap of 35.3 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Residents still need everyday shopping during works

Strand renewal changes the layout and routes through Bootle’s centre.

Proposed response: Publish open entrances, toilets and accessible paths.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

7% of people reported bad or very bad health in Sefton council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.6% in Formby West to 11% in Bootle West — a gap of 6.4 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Test proposed leisure uses against local needs

The Bootle Golf Course proposal includes several new facilities but is only at application stage.

Proposed response: Assess access, affordability and planning representations.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

23.2% of people in Sefton council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.5% in Bootle West to 37.1% in Cambridge — a gap of 22.6 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

29.9% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Sefton council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.7% in Formby West to 30.1% in Bootle West — a gap of 18.4 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Sefton council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 9.7% in Formby West to 36.3% in Bootle West — a gap of 26.6 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

An events building needs a sustainable programme

Southport’s events centre is a major investment; the reviewed update does not establish long-term operating results.

Proposed response: Publish opening dependencies and the operating model.

Evidence