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Plymouth (Local Profiles 2012)

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Key Facts

> Life expectancy in Plymouth for both men (77.2 years) and women (82.0 years) was lower than both the South West and England averages.

> The rate of teenage conception in Plymouth (48.0 per 1,000 women aged 15-17) was higher than the rate for the South West (34.5 per 1,000) and England (40.2).

> The crime rate in Plymouth (45.0 per 1,000 population) was higher than the rate for the South West (33.8 per 1,000) and England and Wales (41.3 per 1,000).

> Median grossannual pay in Plymouth was £23,879 (South West £24,922, England £26,165).

> The latest unemployment rate for Plymouth is 7.3% (South West 6.0%, England 7.6%).

> 58.0% of Plymouth pupils achieved 5+ GCSEs grades A*-C or equivalent, including Maths and English (South West 56.5%, England 58.3%).

> Plymouth’s lowest quartile affordability ratio (house price to earnings ratio: a higher ratio means less affordable housing) was 6.3 (South West 8.2, England 6.7).

> There were 355 road casualties per 100,000 population in Plymouth (South West 310, England 355).

Demographics

Population by Local Authority
  • The Plymouth unitary authority area accounts for 4.9% of the South West’s population.
  • Plymouth has the fifth biggest population of the region’s 37 unitary and district authorities.
  • The population density is the third highest of SW local authorities (behind Bristol and Bournemouth).

  Pop. 1000s Area  Persons per sq km
Sq Km
Plymouth 258.7 80 3,234
South West 5,273.70 23,837 221
England 52,234.00 130,281 401
ONS Mid Year Estimates 2010 / ONS Census 2001 Urban Area data

Population Change
  • Since the 2001 census, Plymouth’s population has increased by 7.5%, a higher rate of growth than the South West (7.0%) and England (6.3%).
  • This was the fifth highest percentage increase of the 16 South West county and unitary authorities.
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Plymouth Local Profile Percentage Population Change since 2001 Census
Plymouth Local Profile Percentage Population Change since 2001 Census
Census 2001 and ONS Mid Year Estimate 2010

Population by Age
  • Plymouth has the second highest % (after Bristol City) of working age people of the 16 South West county and unitary authorities. It has the 3rd lowest % of older people, and the sixth lowest % of children.

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Plymouth Local Profile Population by Age
SWO Plymouth Local Profile 2012
Mean: ONS Census 2001 / Breakdown: ONS Mid Year Estimates 2010

Ethnicity
  • At 1.6%, Plymouth had a smaller proportion of people from an ethnic minority than the region as a whole or England in 2001 (2.3% and 9.1%).
  • It had the eight highest proportion of the 16 South West county and unitary authorities.
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Plymouth Local Profile Non White Ethnicity
SWO Plymouth Local Profile 2012

Local Authority

Political Representation
  • Plymouth includes all or part of 3 Parliamentary Constituencies: Plymouth Moor View (Labour MP), and Devon South West and Plymouth Sutton & Devonport (both Conservative MPs).
  • The Conservatives have a majority of seats in Plymouth City Council.
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Plymouth Local Profile Councillors by Party
SWO Plymouth Local Profile 2012
Council Tax 2010/11
  • In Plymouth, the average council tax per dwelling is £1,058 (South West £1,272, England £1,196), the lowest for any district or unitary authority in the South West. Average Band D council tax is £1,473 (South West £1,500, England £1,439).
  • Due to the Government freeze on Council Tax these figures are almost identical to those for 2010/11.

CLG Local Government Finance Council Taxes 2011/12

Earnings & Economy

Gross Annual Pay
  • The median gross full-time annual pay for Plymouth residents is £23,879, an increase of 1.1% on 2010. This is below the median for both the South West (£24,922) and England (£26,615).
  • The equivalent pay figure for those working in Plymouth is £25,978, illustrating a tendency for those commuting into the city to be the highest earners.
  • Median gross full-time annual pay for Plymouth resident men is 21% higher than women. In the South West men’s pay is 29% higher and in England 25% higher.

ONS Annual Survey of Hours & Earnings (ASHE) 2011

Local Enterprise Zones (LEPs)
  • Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are locally-owned partnerships between local authorities and businesses and play a central role in determining local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and the creation of local jobs.
  • Plymouth is in the Heart of the South West LEP with Devon and Somerset Counties and Torbay Unitary Authority. The table below summaries some key facts across local authorities within this LEP:

  Median Pay Enterprise 3-year Survival Rate (from 2007) School Qualifications* Median House Price Affordability** Crime Rate (per 1,000 pop)
Devon  £22,570 66.70% 58.00% £195,000 9.2 23.5
Somerset  £24,202 67.40% 56.70% £170,000 7.8 28.9
Plymouth  £23,879 61.30% 56.50% £140,000 6.3 45
Torbay  £22,053 59.20% 56.80% £158,000 8 39.2
South West £24,922 65.90% 57.50% £181,500 8.2 33.8
England  £26,615 62.90% 58.30% £175,000 6.7 41

* % scoring 5+ GCSEs at grade A*-C, including Maths and English
** ratio of lowest quartile earnings to lowest quartile house prices

Productivity (GVA)
  • In 2009 Plymouth’s Gross Value Added (GVA) per head was £16,197. The South West value was £18,184, England £20,498.
  • Between 2008 and 2009 there was a decrease in Plymouth’s GVA per head, of -2.8% (South West -2.3%, England -2.2%).
  • Over the last 10 years GVA per head in Plymouth has increased by 36.2% (South West 43.2%, England 44.3%).

ONS Gross Value Added 1997-2009 (ONS Dec 11)

Enterprise Survival Rate
  • At the end of 2010, there were 61,460 VAT/PAYE registered businesses in the Heart of the South West LEP area, of which 5,690 were in Plymouth.
  • During 2010, there was a fall in the number of VAT registered businesses in Plymouth, of -4.3% (South West -2.1, England -1.9%), the second largest decrease of any South West county or unitary authority.
  • The 3-year survival rate of enterprises that started in 2007 in Plymouth is 61.3% (South West 65.9%, England 62.9%). The survival rate has decreased from 69.4% in 2006.
  • Plymouth had 550 new businesses in 2010, a fall of –9.1% from 2009 (South West -0.6%, England  0.7%). This was the largest decrease in new businesses for any South West county or unitary authority.

ONS Business Demography 2010
Data Limitations: Business Demography statistics exclude Agriculture

Employment

Unemployment and Claimant Rate
  • Plymouth’s working age employment rate is lower than the England and South West rates and has fallen since the previous reporting period.

% of working age population Jan 09 – Dec 09 Jan 10 – Dec 10 % point change
Plymouth 71.4 69.4 -2
South West 74.2 73.6 -0.6
England 70.9 70.4 -0.5
  • The latest unemployment rate for Plymouth is 7.3% of the economically active 16+ population (South West 6.0%, England 7.6%).
  • Plymouth’s claimant count (graph below) rate is higher than a year ago, and also higher than the rates for both the South West and England.

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Plymouth Local Profile Total Claimants as a Percentage of Working Age Population
Plymouth Local Profile Total Claimants as a Percentage of Working Age Population
Employment & unemployment: Annual Population Survey Jan – Dec 09
ONS Claimant Count, Dec 2011

Employment by Sector
  • The largest sector in Plymouth is in public administration, defence, education and health (35.3%) followed by manufacturing and wholesale and retail (25.7%).

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Plymouth Local Profile Employment by Sector
Plymouth Local Profile Employment by Sector

Education and Skills

School Qualifications
  • Results for 2010/11 show 56.5% of pupils in the Plymouth Local Education Authority (LEA) achieved 5+ GCSEs or equivalent at Grade A*-C including English & Maths by the end of Key Stage 4. This was lower than the rate for both the South West (57.5%) and England (58.3%).
  • Plymouth LEA’s latest Key Stage 2 pass rates for English and Maths were below the South West and England averages. The pass rate for Maths was the lowest in the South West.
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Plymouth Local Profile School Qualifications
SWO Plymouth Local Profile 2012
DfE GCSE & KS2 2010/11 (prov)
NB: provisional figures are based on data provided by Awarding Bodies, subject to checking by schools, and so should be treated with caution. Figures may be different in future revised releases

School Absenteeism
  • The percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence by pupils in Plymouth primary schools is lower than both the South West and the England average.
  • At secondary school level there is a similar situation, with the unauthorised absence rate being lower than both the South West and England average.

% days missed, unauthorised absence Maintained Primary schools Maintained Secondary schools
Plymouth 0.41 1.01
South West 0.49 1.1
England 0.67 1.38
DfE Pupil Absence in Schools in England 2009/10

Workforce Qualifications
  • 10.0% of Plymouth’s workforce hold no qualifications, lower than the South West (11.1%) but higher than England (8.4%).
  • 25.8% of Plymouth’s workforce are qualified to NVQ4 or above, lower than both the South West (31.5%) and England (31.1%).

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Plymouth Local Profile Highest Qualification
Plymouth Local Profile Highest Qualification

Health, Crime and Deprivation

Life Expectancy
  • Male life expectancy in Plymouth is 77.2 years (South West 79.2, England 78.3).
  • Female life expectancy is 82.0 years (South West 83.3, England 82.3).
  • These were the 264th (for men) and 219th (for women) longest life expectancies out of 326 unitary and district authorities in England.

ONS Life Expectancy at Birth 3-year rolling average 2007-09

Infant Mortality
  • Plymouth has a higher infant mortality rate than the rate for both the South West and England.
  • In recent years the trends for rates of infant mortality in Plymouth have been variable. The South West and England rates have consistently fallen over recent years.
  • Plymouth has the highest infant mortality rate amongst the 15* unitary and county authorities in the South West.

Mortality all causes – Infants < 1 year
Deaths/1000 live births 2004-06 2005-07 2006-08 2007-09
Plymouth 4.8 5.1 4.9 5.7
South West 4.4 4.2 4.1 4
England 5 4.9 4.8 4.7
National Centre for Health Outcomes Development 3-yr rolling average 2007-09. * excluding the Isles of Scilly.

Teenage Conceptions
  • Plymouth’s teenage conception rate is the 3rd highest of the 15 South West county and unitary authorities. The rate is slightly lower than 3 years previously.

Conception rates per 1000 women aged 15-17
3-year rolling averages 2001-03 2004-06 2007-09
Plymouth 45.8 48.7 48
South West 35.5 34.3 34.5
England  42.4 41.1 40.2

ONS 3-year rolling average 2007-09

NHS Trust Performance Indicators
  • The Care Quality Commission’s new Annual Health Check gives all NHS organisations a two-part annual performance rating.

Healthcare organisation Overall quality of services* Financial Managem’t score*
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust Fair Good
Plymouth Teaching PCT (includes mental health) Good Fair
South Western Ambulance Services NHS Trust Good Good
    *excellent, good, fair, or weak

  • Of the 12 Ambulance Services in England in 2010/11, South Western had the 3rd highest 8 minute response rate and the 6th lowest 19 minute response rate. Both rates have improved from the previous year.

Ambulance response South Western England target
time target – Category A
Arrive within 8 minutes 76.90% >75%
Arrive within 19 minutes 96.10% >95%

Crime
  • In 2010/11, Plymouth had the 3rd highest overall crime rate (45.0 offences per 1,000 population) among the 16 county and unitary authorities in the South West.
  • The overall crime rate was higher than that of the South West (33.8) and England & Wales (41.3).
  • Overall crime fell from a rate of 47.5 in Plymouth in 2009/10. This included decreases in vehicle crime and robbery, but increases in violence against the person and sexual offences, while burglary rates were virtually unchanged.
  • In 2010/11 Devon and Cornwall Police ranked 6th highest out of all 38 English force areas for local people having confidence in the police and local councils dealing with issues (55.9% strongly agree/tend to agree, significantly higher than the average for England and Wales of 52.7%).

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Plymouth Local Profile Crime per 1,000
Plymouth Local Profile Crime per 1,000
* Burglary: Offences per 1,000 households
# Aggregates theft of a vehicle and theft from a vehicle
Home Office Crime in England & Wales 20010/11/British Crime Survey 2010/11

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2010
  • In the IMD 2010, 41 (26%) of Plymouth’s 160 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) ranked among the most deprived 20% in England.
  • 17 of these 46 LSOAs are among the most deprived 10% in England, with one being among the most deprived 1%.
  • Plymouth has 13 LSOAs among the least deprived 20% in England.

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Plymouth Local Profile Indices of Multiple Deprivation
Plymouth Local Profile Indices of Multiple Deprivation

Housing

House Prices
  • In Q1 of 2011, the median house price in Plymouth was £140,000, the lowest of the South West county and unitary authorities. This was 23% below the South West median (£181,500) and 20% below England’s (£175,000).
  • Plymouth’s current median house price the same as the previous quarter and 3% lower than the same quarter of 2010.

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Plymouth Local Profile House Prices
Plymouth Local Profile House Prices
House Prices: DCLG Table 582

Affordability
  • Affordability ratios are calculated as house price divided by annual workplace-based earnings.
  • Using median house prices and earnings (2010 data) gives a median affordability ratio in Plymouth of 5.9, the lowest among South West’s county and unitary authorities (South West 7.9, England 7.0).
  • The lower quartile (LQ) ratio based on lower quartile house prices and earnings better reflects the first time buyers’ market.  Plymouth’s LQ ratio is 6.3, the lowest among South West’s county and unitary authorities (South West 8.2, England 6.7).

DCLG Tables 576 and 577

Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation
  • In the financial year of 2010/11, Plymouth accepted 280 households (2.5 per 1,000) as being homeless and in priority need (South West 1.5, England: 2.0). Plymouth had 64 households in temporary accommodation, 3 of which were in bed and breakfast accommodation.
  • In the same year in Plymouth there were a total of 5032 households where positive action was successful in preventing or relieving homelessness (4.6 per 1,000 households, South West 7.2, England 8.7).

DCLG Tables 784 and 792. For more information on homelessness prevention and relief data see:  http://bit.ly/pRGark

Planning and Land Use

Planning Decisions
  • In the year ending March 2010, Plymouth made decisions on 1,369 planning applications, 92 of which were for major developments.
  • Time taken to decide applications by different development type are shown in the table below.

Speed of decision by development type
  % major within 13 weeks % minor within 8 weeks % other within 8 weeks
Plymouth 77 82 88
South West 64 72 84
England 66 75
 86
CLG Statistics of Planning Applications Q1 to year ending Mar 11

Land Use
  • In 2007-10, 94% of new dwellings in Plymouth were built on previously developed land (South West 66%, England 77%) and increase from 60% in 2003-06.
  • In 2007-10, 78 new dwellings per ha were built in Plymouth (South West 38, England 43), an increase from 72 per hectare in 2003-06.

CLG Land Use Change in England to 2008

Environment

Transport

Average Traffic Speeds
  • In 2010/11, Plymouth had an average traffic speed during the weekday morning peak period of 19.5 mph, compared to 28.6mph for the South West and 25.1mph for England. This was the 2nd slowest traffic speed for any unitary or county authority in the South West.
  • The average peak speed in Plymouth has fallen by 7.6% since 2006/07, the biggest reduction for any county or unitary authority in the South West.

DfT Road Statistics 2011

Road Casualties
  • In 2010, there were 355 road casualties per 100,000 people in Plymouth, higher than the rate for the South West (310) and the same as England (355).
  • 6.5% of these casualties resulted in death or serious injury, lower than the South West and England rates (both 11.5%) and the lowest rate for a county or unitary authority in the South West.

DfT Road Casualties Great Britain 2010

Plymouth City Airport
  • In 2010, Plymouth City Airport handled 96,498 passengers. This was the 6th highest number of passengers for airports in the South West.
  • Passenger numbers at Plymouth City Airport were down 16.3% on 2009, (South West -1.9%, England -3.4%).

Civil Aviation Authority UK Airport Statistics 2010

Travel to Work
  • A lower proportion of people in Plymouth work at home compared to either England or the South West, but a higher proportion travel to work as a passenger in a motor vehicle.

2001 Census
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Plymouth Local Profile Means of Travel to Work
Plymouth Local Profile Means of Travel to Work

Download Charts & Graphs

Please use these files in presentations/reports, but remember to reference the South West Observatory, providing a hyperlink to this page where possible.

Useful Resources

General
Download this Local Profile as a PDF

Plymouth Informed (via Plymouth City Council)

Economy & Skills
Learn more about the Heart of the South West LEP Economic Profile

Social
Download APHO's Plymouth Health Profile

Download SWO's IMD 2010 Plymouth Report

Infrastructure & Environment

Download SWO's Environment Profile for Plymouth

To download charts and graphs from this report see below.