Skip to content
Essex Counts — Essex, in numbers.Local help →

Witham West · Braintree

Witham West: your neighbourhood

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

What stands out here?

Homes rented from a council or housing association: 23% here, compared with 16% across Braintree (7 percentage points higher).

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 16+ with a degree or equivalent: 20.7% here, compared with 25.8% across Braintree (5.1 percentage points lower).

Qualifications show local skills, not whether people have secure jobs or use those skills at work.

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: 20.4% here, compared with 15.9% across Braintree (4.6 percentage points higher).

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

19.7%

21 March 2021 · Witham West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

1,341 out of 6,800.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

5.4%

21 March 2021 · Witham West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

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

364 out of 6,798.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

6,797

21 March 2021 · Witham West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

6,797 out of 6,797.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

20.7%

21 March 2021 · Witham West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,135 out of 5,488.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

56.2%

21 March 2021 · Witham 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

1,578 out of 2,810.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

20.4%

21 March 2021 · Witham 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

574 out of 2,810.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

37.5%

21 March 2021 · Witham 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

2,057 out of 5,490.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

59.1%

21 March 2021 · Witham 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

3,247 out of 5,490.

Source and method →

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

4.3%

21 March 2021 · Witham 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

234 out of 5,490.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

21.1%

21 March 2021 · Witham West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,160 out of 5,488.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

11%

21 March 2021 · Witham West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

303 out of 2,806.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

23%

21 March 2021 · Witham 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

1,263 out of 5,490.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

23%

21 March 2021 · Witham West

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

655 out of 2,806.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

3.4%

21 March 2021 · Witham 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

186 out of 5,490.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

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

432 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 412 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Witham 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: 29 mapped crimes in September 2024; 37 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 · Witham West
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 2024292
October 20243410
November 20243211
December 2024353
January 2025389
February 2025343
March 2025392
April 2025445
May 2025385
June 2025341
July 2025266
August 2025296
September 2025402
October 2025397
November 2025383
December 2025362
January 2026211
February 2026273
March 2026219
April 20263213
May 2026348
June 2026616
July 2026469
August 2026379
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Witham West
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime224
public order41
criminal damage arson33
other theft31
shoplifting29
other crime16
drugs15
vehicle crime15
burglary15
possession of weapons6
robbery5
theft from the person2
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 →