strength
Keep Colne’s new market useful beyond opening month
Colne Market Hall has reopened with traditional and food trading.
Proposed response: Measure everyday use as well as launch interest.
What could help →Pendle, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Pendle
Pendle 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 £670 a month (August 2026) in Pendle council area. This is £789 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 12% in Fence & Higham to 34% in Whitefield & Walverden — a gap of 22 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
Find a use for the saved Trafalgar frontage
Restoration prepares Trafalgar House for future use but does not identify a settled occupant.
Proposed response: Bring operator demand into the design before finishing the space.
What could help →weakness
Bring support closer to people in poor health
5.8% of people reported bad or very bad health in Pendle council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4% in Fence & Higham to 7.3% in Waterside & Horsfield — a gap of 3.3 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
Make Nelson’s retail changes work together
Pendle Rise and Trafalgar House are linked parts of the Nelson regeneration programme.
Proposed response: Coordinate access and the eventual mix of uses.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
18% of people in Pendle council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 9.9% in Whitefield & Walverden to 28.9% in Fence & Higham — a gap of 18.9 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
25.4% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Pendle council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.5% in Fence & Higham to 36.7% in Bradley — a gap of 24.2 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 Pendle 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 9% in Fence & Higham to 35.7% in Bradley — a gap of 26.7 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
Protect trading while demolition continues
Replacing the shopping centre creates a transition before the new destination is ready.
Proposed response: Keep customers informed and nearby shops accessible.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Keep Colne’s new market useful beyond opening monthColne Market Hall: Open from May 2026 | Pendle Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Find a use for the saved Trafalgar frontageTrafalgar House restoration: Contractor appointments approved | Pendle Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make Nelson’s retail changes work togetherPendle Rise redevelopment: Demolition started; Trafalgar House restoration: Contractor appointments approved | Pendle Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Protect trading while demolition continuesPendle Rise redevelopment: Demolition started | Pendle Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £670 a month (August 2026) in Pendle council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 12% in Fence & Higham to 34% in Whitefield & Walverden — a gap of 22 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 12 of 12 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% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 9.9% in Whitefield & Walverden to 28.9% in Fence & Higham — a gap of 18.9 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 12 of 12 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 Fence & Higham to 7.3% in Waterside & Horsfield — a gap of 3.3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 12 of 12 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 opportunities25.4% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.5% in Fence & Higham to 36.7% in Bradley — a gap of 24.2 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 12 of 12 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 9% in Fence & Higham to 35.7% in Bradley — a gap of 26.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 12 of 12 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |