Issues and SWOT: West Lancashire

strength

Target business space to an identified gap

The council reports that small firms need units that large warehouse developments do not provide.

Proposed response: Test whether Junction 4 meets that demand at affordable terms.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £805 a month (August 2026) in West Lancashire council area. This is £654 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.6% in Aughton & Holborn to 20.7% in Ormskirk East — a gap of 14.2 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.

weakness

Explain the gap between demolition and homes

Digmoor funding prepares land but does not establish the replacement housing programme.

Proposed response: Publish the next housing decisions before treating clearance as delivery.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.7% of people reported bad or very bad health in West Lancashire council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.8% in Rural South to 8.1% in Skelmersdale South — a gap of 4.3 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.

opportunity

Make the towpath a practical local route

Funding is allocated to the Burscough–Parbold towpath.

Proposed response: Check access points and surface quality for daily use.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

21.9% of people in West Lancashire council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.8% in Tanhouse & Skelmersdale Town Centre to 29.4% in Aughton & Holborn — a gap of 16.5 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.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

30% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in West Lancashire council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.6% in Rural South to 28.5% in Skelmersdale South — a gap of 18.9 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.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in West Lancashire 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.

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.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 9.8% in Rural North East to 27.7% in Skelmersdale South — a gap of 18 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Separate commercial forecasts from council exposure

Junction 4 is a council-owned developer’s investment whose return depends on occupation.

Proposed response: Publish the financial assumptions and track actual lettings.

Evidence