strength
Use the bus station as an everyday connection
The bus-station project is complete and its commercial units have tenants.
Proposed response: Connect public transport to town-centre shops and temporary market trading.
What could help →Rossendale, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Rossendale
Rossendale 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 £811 a month (August 2026) in Rossendale council area. This is £648 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 11.1% in Helmshore to 21.8% in Haslingden — a gap of 10.8 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
Keep the market trading during the rebuild
Rawtenstall traders are using cabins and space in the bus station while their hall is rebuilt.
Proposed response: Make temporary access and trading information reliable.
What could help →weakness
Bring support closer to people in poor health
6.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in Rossendale council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.6% in Goodshaw & Cribden to 7.6% in Whitewell & Stacksteads — a gap of 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 Haslingden’s streets support ordinary days
The Deardengate improvements are intended to improve movement and support events.
Proposed response: Assess everyday access as well as event attendance.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
19.3% of people in Rossendale council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.8% in Haslingden to 25.5% in Helmshore — a gap of 9.8 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
Connect local skills to local opportunities
30.7% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Rossendale council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 13.6% in Goodshaw & Cribden to 22.1% in Whitewell & Stacksteads — a gap of 8.5 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 Rossendale 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 12.4% in Goodshaw & Cribden to 25.4% in Bacup — a gap of 13 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
Do not reopen a market without workable management
The council is still agreeing terms with an operator for the rebuilt market.
Proposed response: Set service and maintenance responsibilities before handover.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Use the bus station as an everyday connectionRawtenstall bus station and commercial units: Completed; final tenants in 2023 | Rossendale Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Keep the market trading during the rebuildRawtenstall Market redevelopment: Construction underway; spring 2027 target | Rossendale Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make Haslingden’s streets support ordinary daysHigher Deardengate public-space improvements: Works reported in January 2026; completion not verified | Rossendale Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Do not reopen a market without workable managementRawtenstall Market redevelopment: Construction underway; spring 2027 target | Rossendale Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £811 a month (August 2026) in Rossendale council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 11.1% in Helmshore to 21.8% in Haslingden — a gap of 10.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 10 of 10 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 population19.3% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.8% in Haslingden to 25.5% in Helmshore — a gap of 9.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 10 of 10 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 health6.1% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.6% in Goodshaw & Cribden to 7.6% in Whitewell & Stacksteads — a gap of 3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 10 of 10 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 opportunities30.7% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 13.6% in Goodshaw & Cribden to 22.1% in Whitewell & Stacksteads — a gap of 8.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 10 of 10 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 12.4% in Goodshaw & Cribden to 25.4% in Bacup — a gap of 13 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 10 of 10 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |