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Castle · Colchester

Castle: your neighbourhood

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

What stands out here?

Homes rented privately: 42% here, compared with 22% across Colchester (20.9 percentage points higher).

A larger private-rented sector changes the mix of housing advice, enforcement and tenant support needed. It does not tell us whether individual homes are affordable or safe.

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: 40.6% here, compared with 32.2% across Colchester (8.3 percentage points higher).

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 →

Homes rented from a council or housing association: 11% here, compared with 13% across Colchester (2.2 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 →

The ward in numbers

People aged 65 or over

16.3%

21 March 2021 · Castle

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

1,846 out of 11,314.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

4.7%

21 March 2021 · Castle

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

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

536 out of 11,314.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

11,314

21 March 2021 · Castle

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

11,314 out of 11,314.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

40.6%

21 March 2021 · Castle

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

3,846 out of 9,483.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

47.9%

21 March 2021 · Castle

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

2,660 out of 5,556.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

14.5%

21 March 2021 · Castle

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

803 out of 5,556.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

33.1%

21 March 2021 · Castle

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

3,128 out of 9,458.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

62.7%

21 March 2021 · Castle

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

5,931 out of 9,458.

Source and method →

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

3.5%

21 March 2021 · Castle

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

334 out of 9,458.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

13.3%

21 March 2021 · Castle

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,260 out of 9,483.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

42%

21 March 2021 · Castle

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

2,355 out of 5,555.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

18%

21 March 2021 · Castle

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

1,701 out of 9,458.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

11%

21 March 2021 · Castle

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

616 out of 5,555.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

4.2%

21 March 2021 · Castle

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

399 out of 9,458.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

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

3,091 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 3,159 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Castle 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: 282 mapped crimes in September 2024; 310 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 · Castle
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 202428239
October 202427140
November 202426440
December 202427632
January 202522533
February 202526433
March 202522827
April 202524638
May 202529148
June 202526832
July 202525623
August 202528840
September 202524442
October 202526823
November 202522028
December 202522121
January 202620621
February 202621220
March 202627631
April 202625744
May 202624649
June 202629647
July 202633546
August 202631051
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Castle
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime1,461
shoplifting461
public order251
other theft230
criminal damage arson198
drugs104
vehicle crime93
burglary70
bicycle theft59
robbery55
theft from the person42
other crime38
possession of weapons29
What these numbers include

Approximate published locations, not every crime or personal risk.

Anti-social behaviour is separate. Transport police and records without usable locations are excluded.

Do not compare directly with Scottish council-level recorded crime totals.

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 Colchester →