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Torbay (Local Profiles 2012)

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Key Facts

> Life expectancy in Torbay for both men (78.0 years) and women (82.0 years) was lower than both the South West and England averages.

> The rate of teenage conception in Torbay (59.2 per 1,000 women aged 15-17) was higher than the England rate (40.2) and the highest of any county or unitary authority in the South West.

> The crime rate in Torbay (39.2 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 gross annual pay in Torbay was £22,053 (South West £24,922, England £26,165)

> The latest unemployment rate for Torbay is 9.7% (South West 6.0%, England 7.6%)
56.8% of Torbay pupils achieved 5+ GCSEs grades A*-C or equivalent, including Maths and English (South West 56.5%, England 58.3%).

> Torbay’s lowest quartile affordability ratio (house price to earnings ratio: a higher ratio means less affordable housing) was 8.0 (South West 8.2, England 6.7).

> There were 340 road casualties per 100,000 population in Torbay (South West 310, England 355).

Demographics

Population by Local Authority
  • Torbay has the second lowest population of the 16 South West unitary and county authorities (only the Isles of Scilly has fewer people).
  • 2.5% of the South West population live in Torbay.

  Pop. 1000s Area  Persons per sq km
Sq Km
Torbay 134.3 63 2,132
Heart of the South West LEP 1,668.10 10,158 164
South West 5,273.70 23,837 221
England 52,234.00 130,281 401
ONS - Mid Year Estimates 2010 / ONS Census 2001 Area data

Population Change
  • Since the 2001 census, Torbay’s population has increased by 3.5%, a lower rate of growth than the South West (7.0%) and England (6.3%).
  • This was the joint fourth lowest percentage increase of the 16 South West county and unitary authorities.
[ Zoom ]
Torbay Local Profile Percentage Population Change since 2001 Census
Torbay Local Profile Percentage Population Change since 2001 Census
Population by Age
  • Torbay has the second highest percentage of older people among the 16 South West county and unitary authorities, but the third lowest percentage of working age people and the second  lowest percentage of children.

[ Zoom ]
Torbay Local Profile Population by Age
Torbay Local Profile Population by Age
Mean: ONS Census 2001 / Breakdown: ONS Mid Year Estimates 2010

Ethnicity
  • In 2001 Torbay 1.2% of its population of non-white ethnicity, a smaller proportion than the region as a whole or England (2.3% and 9.1% respectively).

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Torbay Local Profile Non White Ethnicity
Torbay Local Profile Non White Ethnicity

Local Authority

Political Representation
  • Torbay Parliamentary Constituency has a Liberal Democrat MP.  Part of the UA area is covered by Totnes PC, which has a Conservative MP.
  • The Conservative Party hold the majority of seats on Torbay Council.
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Torbay Local Profiles - Councillors by Party
Torbay Local Profiles - Councillors by Party
Council Tax 2010/11
  • In Torbay, the average council tax per dwelling is £1,170 (South West £1,272, England £1,196). Average Band D council tax is £1,493 (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
  • Median gross full-time annual pay among Torbay residents is £22,053, an increase of 12.7% on 2010. This is well below the median for both England (£26,615) and the South West (£24,922) medians, and is the lowest of all South West county and unitary authorities.
  • Median gross full-time annual pay among workers in Torbay is slightly lower at £22,052.
  • Median gross full-time annual pay for Torbay resident men is 19% 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.
  • Torbay is in the Heart of the South West LEP with Devon and Somerset Counties and Plymouth 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 41.3

* % 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, Torbay’s Gross Value Added (GVA) per head was £12,777, the lowest of the 12 NUTS3 areas in the South West. The value for the South West overall was £18,184 and for England £20,498.
  • Between 2008 and 2009 there was a decrease in Torbay’s GVA per head, of -3.5% (South West -2.3%, England -2.2%).
  • Over the last 10 years Torbay’s GVA per head has increased by 28.6% (South West 43.2%, England 44.3%). This is the 2nd lowest increase for the 12 NUTS3 areas in the South West.

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 4,225 were in Torbay.
  • During 2010, there was a fall in the number of VAT registered businesses in Torbay, of -4.7% (South West -2.1, England -1.9%), the largest decrease of any South West county or unitary authority.
  • The 3-year survival rate of enterprises that started in 2007 in Torbay is 59.2%, the lowest survival rate for and South West county or unitary authority (South West 65.9%, England 62.9%). The survival rate has decreased from 65.3% in 2006.
  • Torbay had 355 new businesses in 2010, a fall of -5.3% from 2009 (South West -0.6%, England  0.7%).

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

Employment

Unemployment and Claimant Rate
  • Torbay’s working age employment rate is lower than the rates for both the South West and England.

% of working age population Jan 09 – Dec 09 Jan 10 – Dec 10 % point change
Torbay 70.3 67.7 -2.6
South West 74.2 73.6 -0.6
England 70.9 70.4 -0.5
  • The latest unemployment rate for Torbay is 9.7% of the economically active 16+ population (South West 6.0%, England 7.6%).
  • Torbay’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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Torbay Local Profile Total Claimants as Percentage of Working Age Population
Torbay Local Profile Total Claimants as 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 Torbay is in public administration, defence, education and health (36.3%) followed by accommodation & food and arts, entertainment, recreation & other (21.6%).

Business Register and Employment Survey 2010 (available via NOMIS)

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Torbay Local Profile Employment by Sector
SWO Torbay Local Profile 2012

Education and Skills

School Qualifications
  • Results for 2010/11 show 56.8% of pupils in the Torbay 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%).
  • Torbay LEA’s latest Key Stage 2 pass rates for English and Maths were also lower than the South West and England averages.

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Torbay Local Profile School Qualifications
Torbay Local Profile School Qualifications
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 Torbay primary schools is higher than the South West average but lower than that for England.
  • At secondary school level rates are lower than both the South West and England rates.

% half days missed, Maintained Maintained
Unauthorised absence primary schools secondary schools
Torbay 0.54 1.05
South West 0.49 1.1
England 0.67 1.38
DfE Pupil Absence in Schools in England 2009/10

Workforce Qualifications
  • The proportion of the Torbay workforce with no qualifications (7.4%) is lower than both the South West (11.1%) and England (8.4%).
  • The proportion of Torbay’s workforce with NVQ 4 (degree & equiv.) qualifications & above (24.6%) is lower than both the South West (31.5%) and England (31.1%).

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Torbay Local Profile Highest Qualification (% aged 16-64)
Torbay Local Profile Highest Qualification (% aged 16-64)
ONS Annual Population Survey year ending Dec 2010

Health, Crime and Deprivation

Health
Life Expectancy
  • Male life expectancy in Torbay is 78.0 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 205th (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
  • The latest Torbay infant mortality rate is higher than that of both England and the South West.
  • Since 2004-06 Torbay’s rate has fluctuated, while the rates for the South West and England have fallen steadily.
  • In 2007-09, Torbay Care Trust had the third highest infant mortality rate of the 15 unitary and county level authorities in the South West.
  • The latest data shows the rate has improved and the area now ranks the third  lowest in the region.

Mortality all causes – Infants < 1 year
Deaths/1000 live births 2004-06 2005-07 2006-08 2007-09
Torbay 4.9 4.7 3.6 5.2
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
  • Torbay’s teenage conception rate is the highest of the 15 South West county and unitary authorities and higher than the rate for England.
  • The rate has increased substantially over the last three reporting periods, as opposed to the rate for England, which has steadily fallen.

Conception rates per 1000 women aged 15-17
3-year rolling averages 2001-03 2004-06 2007-09
Torbay 43.8 49.9 59.2
South West 35.5 34.3 34.5
England  42.4 41.1 40.

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*
South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust Good Excellent
Devon Partnership NHS Trust (mental health) Fair Good
Torbay Care Trust PCT Good Good
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 third highest 8 minute response rate and the sixth 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%

Care Quality Commission Annual Health Check 2008/09 / DH Ambulance Services, England 2010-11

Crime

Key Offences
  • In 2010/11 Torbay had the 5th highest overall crime rate among the 16 county and unitary authorities in the South west, at 39.2 offences per 1,000 population.
  • The overall crime rate was higher than the South West average (33.8) but lower than the average for England and Wales (41.3).
  • Overall crime in Torbay fell from a rate of 42.1 in 2009/10. This included decreases in violence against the person and burglary, although there were increases in robbery and sexual offences.
  • 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%).
* 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

Indices of Multiple Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2010
  • In the IMD 2010, 17 (19%) of Torbay’s 89 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) are ranked within the most deprived 20% in England.
  • 12 of these LSOAs are among the most deprived 10% in England. In IMD 2007 this figure was seven, while in IMD 2004 just four LSOAs were in this category.

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Torbay Local Profile Offences per 1000 population
Torbay Local Profile Offences per 1000 population

Housing

House Prices
  • In Q1 2011 the median house price in Torbay was £158,000, 13% below the South West median (£181,500) and 10% below the English median (£175,000).
  • Torbay’s median house price was 2% higher than the previous quarter, but was 1% lower than in Q1 of 2010.

[ Zoom ]
Torbay Local Profile Median House Prices
Torbay Local Profile Median 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 gives a median affordability ratio in Torbay of 8.5 (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.  Torbay’s LQ ratio is 8.0 (South West 8.2, England 6.7).

DCLG Tables 576 and 577

Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation
  • In the financial year of 2010/11, Torbay accepted 57 households (0.9 per 1,000) as being homeless and in priority need (South West 1.5, England 2.0). Torbay had 36 households in temporary accommodation, 6 of which were in bed and breakfast accommodation.
  • In the same year in Torbay there were a total of 557 households where positive action was successful in preventing or relieving homelessness (9.1 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 2011, Torbay Council made decisions on 1,219 planning applications, 20 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
Torbay 45 68 74
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, 70% of new dwellings in Torbay were built on previously developed land. This was higher than the South West proportion (66%) but lower than the England proportion (76%). The proportion has not changed since 2003-06
  • In 2007-10, 47 new dwellings per hectare were built in Torbay (South West 38, England 43), a decrease from 50 per hectare in 2003-06.

CLG Land Use Change in England to 2011

Environment


Environmental Designations
  • Torbay contains one National Nature Reserve (Berry Head), covering 61Ha.

Transport

Road Casualties
  • In 2010, there were 340 road casualties per 100,000 people in Torbay, higher than the rate for the South West (310) but lower than the rate for England (355). This was the lowest rate for any county or unitary authority in the South West.
  • 7.0% of these casualties resulted in death or serious injury, lower than the South West and England rates (both 11.5%). This was the lowest rate for any county or unitary authority in the South West.

DfT Road Casualties Great Britain 2010

Travel to Work
  • A higher proportion of people in Torbay walk or cycle to work compared to either England or the South West, but a lower proportion use public transport to get to work.

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

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

Torbay Statistics (via Torbay Council)

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

Social
Download APHO's Torbay Health Profile

Download SWO's IMD 2010 Torbay Report

Infrastructure & Environment
Download SWO's Environment Profile for Torbay

To download charts and graphs from this report see below.