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Essex Counts / Council areas / Braintree / Braintree West

Braintree West · Braintree

Braintree West: your neighbourhood

Braintree West electoral ward · May 2026 boundaries. Every figure carries its own date.

What stands out here?

Homes rented from a council or housing association: 8% here, compared with 16% across Braintree (8.7 percentage points lower).

The share of social housing describes the homes already here. It does not show the current waiting list or whether enough suitable homes are available.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

People aged 65 or over: 23.4% here, compared with 20.4% across Braintree (3 percentage points higher).

Age helps locate demand for accessible homes, transport and support. Being older does not itself mean someone needs care.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages: 14.4% here, compared with 15.9% across Braintree (1.5 percentage points lower).

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

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

The ward in numbers

People aged 65 or over

23.4%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

1,443 out of 6,167.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

3.6%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

221 out of 6,167.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

6,166

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

6,166 out of 6,166.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

24.9%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,264 out of 5,082.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

48.5%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

1,275 out of 2,631.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

14.4%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

379 out of 2,631.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

36.9%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

1,876 out of 5,080.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

60.3%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

3,062 out of 5,080.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ not working because of long-term illness or disability

2%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

103 out of 5,080.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

17.6%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

893 out of 5,082.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

16%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

425 out of 2,630.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

26.5%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

1,344 out of 5,080.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

8%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

201 out of 2,630.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

2.8%

21 March 2021 · Braintree West

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly. Unemployed residents as a share of all residents aged 16+; this is not the unemployment rate among economically active people.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

142 out of 5,080.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

Police-recorded locations for Braintree West ward. Locations are approximate; these are not all crimes or a measure of personal risk.

210 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 216 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Braintree West ward · mapped crimes

Reviewed figures: September 2024 to August 2026. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: 25 mapped crimes in September 2024; 17 mapped crimes in August 2026. These are recorded counts; check the coverage notes before comparing periods.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Monthly crime and anti-social behaviour
Recorded locations by month · Braintree West
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 2024252
October 2024173
November 2024141
December 2024242
January 2025190
February 2025164
March 2025123
April 2025191
May 2025210
June 2025211
July 202570
August 2025212
September 2025201
October 2025192
November 2025130
December 2025201
January 2026150
February 202640
March 2026260
April 2026200
May 2026172
June 2026196
July 2026203
August 2026174
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Braintree West
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime118
criminal damage arson22
vehicle crime18
public order13
other theft12
drugs11
burglary5
other crime5
possession of weapons5
theft from the person1
What these numbers include

Approximate published locations, not every crime or personal risk.

Anti-social behaviour is separate. Transport police and unusable locations excluded.

An empty ward count means no mapped rows in the complete required force files; it does not prove that no crime occurred.

These are retrieved mapped records, not a guarantee of complete crime reporting. Approximate locations and unmapped incidents limit comparisons.

Missing ward-months invalidate totals and changes. Busy centres attract visitors, so residential population is not a measure of the number of people exposed.

Police data and method →

What could improve local safety →

Projects and proposed responses

A nearby project is not proof of a benefit to the whole ward. Only source-supported ward links are attached here.

No project boundary has been verified against this ward. See projects and their stated locations →

Proposed responses across Braintree →