strength
Use Garstang’s completed facilities
The gym and cycling studio have been refurbished and officially opened.
Proposed response: Make the investment accessible to people new to exercise.
What could help →Wyre, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Wyre
Wyre 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 £743 a month (August 2026) in Wyre council area. This is £716 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.1% in Pheasant's Wood to 46.4% in Pharos — a gap of 36.2 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.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Show which leisure improvements are actually ready
The borough contract covers several distinct centres and types of work.
Proposed response: Publish a centre-by-centre delivery list.
What could help →weakness
Bring support closer to people in poor health
6.9% of people reported bad or very bad health in Wyre council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.3% in Brock with Catterall to 11.5% in Pharos — a gap of 8.1 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
Connect activity referrals with better facilities
The leisure contract includes a refreshed exercise-referral programme.
Proposed response: Measure whether referrals lead to sustained affordable activity.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
27.7% of people in Wyre council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 18.5% in Pharos to 38.6% in Garstang — a gap of 20.1 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
28.3% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Wyre council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.9% in Calder to 27.4% in Rossall — a gap of 15.5 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 Wyre 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 8.2% in Calder to 35.4% in Pharos — a gap of 27.1 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
Settle the ferry’s future before support expires
The funding agreement runs to September 2027 and longer-term discussions continue.
Proposed response: Assess the crossing’s service needs and funding options early.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Use Garstang’s completed facilitiesGarstang gym and cycling studio: Completed and opened | Wyre Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Show which leisure improvements are actually readyBorough leisure-centre improvement contract: Contract signed; individual works need verification | Wyre Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Connect activity referrals with better facilitiesBorough leisure-centre improvement contract: Contract signed; individual works need verification | Wyre Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Settle the ferry’s future before support expiresFleetwood–Knott End ferry support: Funding agreement to September 2027 | Wyre Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £743 a month (August 2026) in Wyre council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.1% in Pheasant's Wood to 46.4% in Pharos — a gap of 36.2 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 24 of 24 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 population27.7% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 18.5% in Pharos to 38.6% in Garstang — a gap of 20.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 24 of 24 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 health6.9% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.3% in Brock with Catterall to 11.5% in Pharos — a gap of 8.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 24 of 24 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 opportunities28.3% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.9% in Calder to 27.4% in Rossall — a gap of 15.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 24 of 24 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 8.2% in Calder to 35.4% in Pharos — a gap of 27.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 24 of 24 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |