strength
Retain local skills in the market investment
The fit-out uses kitchen manufacturing in Clayton-le-Moors and ventilation work from Haslingden.
Proposed response: Report local procurement alongside lasting trading outcomes.
What could help →Hyndburn, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Hyndburn
Hyndburn 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 £648 a month (August 2026) in Hyndburn council area. This is £811 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.5% in Baxenden to 44.2% in Peel — a gap of 33.7 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 →Weaknesses
weakness
Make opening information dependable
The phase-two notice contains an earlier opening ambition; the later market update forecasts November 2026.
Proposed response: Publish one current programme with separate dates for each building.
What could help →weakness
Bring support closer to people in poor health
7% of people reported bad or very bad health in Hyndburn council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.1% in Baxenden to 9% in Church — a gap of 4.8 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
Design play areas around inclusive use
Great Harwood and Rishton are receiving replacement equipment.
Proposed response: Check access and play choices with families before handover.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
18.2% of people in Hyndburn council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 9% in Central to 24.9% in Immanuel — a gap of 16 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
Connect local skills to local opportunities
25.2% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Hyndburn council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 14% in Baxenden to 35.1% in Central — a gap of 21.1 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.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Hyndburn 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 11.2% in Baxenden to 40.6% in Central — a gap of 29.4 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
threat
Avoid an expensive building with empty space
Heritage fit-out prepares trading space but does not establish long-term demand.
Proposed response: Make the market and Burtons business cases visible after opening.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Retain local skills in the market investmentAccrington Market fit-out: Final fit-out; November 2026 opening forecast | Hyndburn Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make opening information dependableAccrington Market fit-out: Final fit-out; November 2026 opening forecast; Burtons Chambers fit-out: Fit-out programme | Hyndburn Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Design play areas around inclusive useWindsor Road and Harwood Road play areas: Works underway in September 2026 | Hyndburn Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Avoid an expensive building with empty spaceAccrington Market fit-out: Final fit-out; November 2026 opening forecast; Burtons Chambers fit-out: Fit-out programme | Hyndburn Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £648 a month (August 2026) in Hyndburn council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.5% in Baxenden to 44.2% in Peel — a gap of 33.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 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 population18.2% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 9% in Central to 24.9% in Immanuel — a gap of 16 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 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 health7% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.1% in Baxenden to 9% in Church — a gap of 4.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 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 opportunities25.2% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 14% in Baxenden to 35.1% in Central — a gap of 21.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 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 11.2% in Baxenden to 40.6% in Central — a gap of 29.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |