strength
Connect the improved Square to the seafront
Completed Square improvements are followed by Pier Link and Garden Street projects.
Proposed response: Make the whole walking journey easy to use.
What could help →Fylde, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Fylde
Fylde local authority area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £870 a month (August 2026) in Fylde council area. This is £589 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.2% in Wrea Green with Westby to 38.2% in Carnegie — a gap of 30 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.
What could help →strength
Connect local skills to local opportunities
34.5% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Fylde council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.6% in Lytham East to 20.3% in Kilgrimol — a gap of 7.7 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.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Turn the pool decision into usable swimming time
The Kirkham reopening route still depends on surveys and affordability.
Proposed response: Publish the unresolved building problems and reopening decisions.
What could help →weakness
Bring support closer to people in poor health
5.8% of people reported bad or very bad health in Fylde council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4% in Wrea Green with Westby to 7.7% in Carnegie — 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.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Compare seafront options on the same basis
Lake restoration and alternative proposals are being explored together.
Proposed response: Compare public access, cost and year-round use before deciding.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
27.8% of people in Fylde council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.9% in Medlar-with-Wesham to 43.7% in Lytham West — a gap of 28.8 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.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Fylde 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.
What could help →opportunity
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 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.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 10.5% in Ansdell & Fairhaven to 22.2% in Carnegie — a gap of 11.6 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Connect the improved Square to the seafrontPier Link and Garden Street improvements: Starts announced for February 2026 | Fylde Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Turn the pool decision into usable swimming timeSt Annes and Kirkham leisure investment: Approved; surveys and affordability conditions remain | Fylde Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Compare seafront options on the same basisThe Island boating-lake options: Restoration costings and market testing | Fylde Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Resolve hidden building and utility costsSt Annes and Kirkham leisure investment: Approved; surveys and affordability conditions remain; The Island boating-lake options: Restoration costings and market testing | Fylde Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £870 a month (August 2026) in Fylde council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.2% in Wrea Green with Westby to 38.2% in Carnegie — a gap of 30 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plan homes and care around an older population27.8% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.9% in Medlar-with-Wesham to 43.7% in Lytham West — a gap of 28.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health5.8% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4% in Wrea Green with Westby to 7.7% in Carnegie — a gap of 3.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities34.5% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.6% in Lytham East to 20.3% in Kilgrimol — a gap of 7.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 10.5% in Ansdell & Fairhaven to 22.2% in Carnegie — a gap of 11.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |