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Highwoods · Colchester

Highwoods: your neighbourhood

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

What stands out here?

People aged 65 or over: 11.3% here, compared with 17.8% across Colchester (6.5 percentage points lower).

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 →

Homes rented privately: 27% here, compared with 22% across Colchester (5.6 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 no qualifications: 13% here, compared with 15.4% across Colchester (2.4 percentage points lower).

Formal qualifications are only one part of someone's skills. Training decisions also need current vacancies, employment and residents' experience.

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

11.3%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

1,185 out of 10,502.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

4%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

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

423 out of 10,502.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

10,502

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

10,502 out of 10,502.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

34.4%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

2,828 out of 8,220.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

46.5%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

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

2,051 out of 4,415.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

15.9%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

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

703 out of 4,415.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

30.5%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

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

2,504 out of 8,221.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

66%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

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

5,422 out of 8,221.

Source and method →

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

4.1%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

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

335 out of 8,221.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

13%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,068 out of 8,220.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

27%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

1,199 out of 4,413.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

14.1%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

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

1,161 out of 8,221.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

14%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

611 out of 4,413.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

3.6%

21 March 2021 · Highwoods

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

295 out of 8,221.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

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

696 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 663 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Highwoods 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: 34 mapped crimes in September 2024; 47 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 · Highwoods
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 2024344
October 2024505
November 2024554
December 2024644
January 2025473
February 2025551
March 2025535
April 2025554
May 2025477
June 2025715
July 20257511
August 2025578
September 2025755
October 2025602
November 2025494
December 2025503
January 2026664
February 2026635
March 2026666
April 2026505
May 2026586
June 2026634
July 2026497
August 20264716
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Highwoods
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime311
shoplifting110
public order68
criminal damage arson48
vehicle crime46
other theft44
burglary19
drugs18
other crime10
bicycle theft9
possession of weapons6
theft from the person4
robbery3
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 →