Issues and SWOT: Castle Point

strength

Keep Thorney Bay’s pavilion useful beyond opening

The pavilion café is operating after completion and letting.

A maintained destination can serve residents and visitors.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,262 a month (August 2026) in Castle Point council area. This is £197 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.1% in Appleton to 20.1% in Canvey Island South — a gap of 12 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.

weakness

Help households stay near their support networks

Abbeyfield is intended for residents currently placed outside the borough.

Temporary moves can separate families from schools, work and support.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.5% of people reported bad or very bad health in Castle Point council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.2% in St George's to 7.9% in Canvey Island Central — a gap of 3.7 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.

opportunity

Use the new play budget to improve inclusive access

The approved programme names several neighbourhood play and activity sites.

Residents can help identify practical barriers before designs are fixed.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

25.2% of people in Castle Point council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.2% in Canvey Island Winter Gardens to 34.6% in Canvey Island North — a gap of 20.4 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

18.5% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Castle Point council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 18% in Appleton to 32% in Canvey Island North — a gap of 14.1 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 Castle Point 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 14.6% in St Michael's to 26.6% in Canvey Island Central — a gap of 12 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

Keep Canvey Lake works within a deliverable scope

The proposed larger scheme depends on potential matching money.

Design and environmental requirements must match secured funds.

Evidence