Issues and SWOT: Braintree

strength

Keep established community buildings useful

Investment has been made in halls and leisure facilities in Braintree and Witham.

Maintained buildings can support activity close to home.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,213 a month (August 2026) in Braintree council area. This is £246 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.9% in Silver End & Cressing to 30.3% in Braintree Central & Beckers Green — a gap of 22.4 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.

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

4.4% of people reported bad or very bad health in Braintree council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.7% in Great Notley & Black Notley to 6.6% in Witham Central — a gap of 3.9 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.

weakness

Follow housing help through to lasting security

The council reports helping households at risk of homelessness.

Avoiding an immediate crisis is only part of a stable housing outcome.

Evidence

opportunity

Make Great Notley’s sports bookings more reliable

Manual-key access has caused delays and occasional problems.

A digital system could make booked sessions easier to use.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

20.4% of people in Braintree council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.2% in Witham South to 30.7% in Gosfield & Greenstead Green — a gap of 16.5 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

25.8% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Braintree council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.9% in Great Notley & Black Notley to 24.3% in Bocking North — a gap of 11.5 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 Braintree 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

4 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 10.4% in Great Notley & Black Notley to 23.3% in Bocking South — a gap of 12.9 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

Get Witham’s completed building into public use

The legal transfer was still being progressed after construction finished.

A new facility needs an operator, affordable bookings and ongoing care.

Evidence