Calderdale Council have recently shared some interesting and insightful key facts about our borough and local authority. The document includes census results from 2021 and information about the workforce and their performance rates.
Population
• Calderdale’s population grew by 1.4% between 2011 and 2021 to 206,321.
• Over three quarters of residents live in urban areas including Halifax, Todmorden, Brighouse, Elland and Sowerby Bridge.
• Population density in the borough ranges from over 70 people per hectare in Park ward in Halifax. to just over 1 person per hectare in Calder ward.
Ethnicity
• 82.7% of Calderdale’s population “White – English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British”.
• The three largest minority ethnic groups in the borough are “Pakistani or British Pakistani” (8.5% of residents), “Indian or British Indian” (0.9%), and “White: Irish” (0.8%).
Age profile
• The average age of Calderdale’s population was 42 in March 2021 compared to 40 in 2011 (average age of the regional and England population was 41 in March 2021).
• 19% (39,310) aged 65 and older (16% in 2011).
• 29% (59,160) under 25 (30% in 2011).
Sexual orientation and gender identity
• 89.9% of Calderdale residents confirmed their sexual orientation was straight or heterosexual.
• 3.2% confirmed it was Gay or Lesbian, bisexual or had a different sexual orientation.
• 94.2% of Calderdale residents confirmed their gender identity as the same as the sex registered at birth and 0.5% confirmed it was not.
Business and Employment
• The top five industries for employment (March 2021): Wholesale and retail (15%), Human health and social work (15%), Education (11%), Manufacturing (10%) and Construction (10%).
• 10.5% run their own business (WY average 9.1%).
Housing
• 41% of Calderdale’s housing are terraces.
• 16.4% of households are in private rented accommodation.
• 2% of households (2,239) overcrowded due to insufficient bedrooms.
Education
• Proportion of Calderdale residents with no qualifications was 19% (24% in 2011) (21% for West Yorkshire 2021).
• Proportion of Calderdale residents with at least a “Level 4” qualification (e.g., degree) was 31% (25% in 2011) (30% for West Yorkshire 2021).
Health and care
• 80.8% (166,966) confirmed good and very good health (80.7% in 2011).
• 1.3% (2,695) confirmed very poor health (1.2% in 2011).
• 18.3% confirmed a disability, slightly higher than the averages for West Yorkshire (17.6%).
• 33.4% or one in three of households in Calderdale include at least one disabled person.
• 4.5% (8,784) of Calderdale residents aged 5 and older provided 20 hours or more unpaid care per week in 2021 (3.5% in 2011).
Towns
• Brighouse – £19.1 million from the Government’s Stronger Towns fund in 2021.
• Todmorden – £17.5 million Town Deal Funding.
• Elland – £6.3 million in funding from the Government’s Future High Street Fund in December 2020.
• Halifax – £11.7 million in funding from the Government’s Future High Street fund in December 2020.
• Sowerby Bridge High Street is a Heritage Action Zone following a successful award in 2019.
Our Vision 2024
Our vision for Calderdale in 2024 is to be a place where you can realise your potential whoever you are, whether your voice has been heard or unheard in the past. A place where talent and enterprise can thrive. A place defined by our innate kindness and resilience, how people care for each other, are able to recover from setbacks, are full of hope. Calderdale will stand out, be known, and be distinctive. A great place to visit, but most importantly, a place to live a larger life.
Council Priorities
• Reduce inequalities and the causes of deprivation, including through cost of living and poverty support, COVID-19 recovery and targeted support in the most deprived communities in Central and North Halifax.
• Create strong, thriving towns and places through our Town Boards, delivering on Stronger Towns, Future High Street and Heritage High Street investment, affordable homes, safety and enforcement, and culture-led regeneration building on Calderdale’s creativity, our transformation of the Piece Hall, and our vibrant visitor economy.
• Tackle the climate emergency we live with everyday in Calderdale, through our Carbon Reduction Pathway work, investment in sustainable travel, flood resilience and delivery of our Climate Action Plan.
Our political landscape
The Council is made up of 51 elected councillors that are split across 17 wards in Calderdale:
Labour: 28 seats
Conservative & Unionist: 15 seats
Liberal Democrats: 6 seats
Green Party: 1 seat
Independent: 1 seat
Cabinet
Cllr Tim Swift – Leader of the Council
Cllr Jane Scullion – Deputy Leader, Cabinet Member Regeneration and Strategy
Cllr Sarah Courtney – Cabinet Member, Towns, Engagement and Public Health
Cllr Silvia Dacre – Cabinet Member, Resources
Cllr Josh Fenton-Glynn – Cabinet Member, Adult Services and Wellbeing
Cllr Jenny Lynn – Cabinet Member, Public Services and Communities
Cllr Scott Patient – Cabinet Member, Climate Change and Resilience
Cllr Adam Wilkinson – Cabinet Member, Children and Young People’s Services
Our MPs
Calder Valley Craig Whittaker Conservative (51.9% of votes, 5774 majority)
Halifax Borough Holly Lynch Labour (46.3% of votes, 2569 majority)
Our Workforce
• 2627 employees (at 31/03/22) of whom 857 (32.6%) were male and 1770 (67.4%) were female.
• Disabled employees have increased from 132 in 2021 to 139 with 5.29% declaring a disability. (proportion of Calderdale residents with disability 18.3% Census 2021).
• 3.6% of the workforce declare they are LGB (Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual), slightly higher. than the UK workforce average of 3.1%.
• 10.3% of the workforce are from minority ethnic communities (8.7% of working age populations (16 -64) are minority ethnic residents in Calderdale (source Census data for 2021 released by NOMIS 2022)).
• The mean (average) Gender pay gap for Calderdale Council is 1.7%.
• The average full time equivalent salary is £31,405 for female employees, and £30,464 for male employees.
• We have a corporate target for sickness absence of 8 days or less per full time equivalent post per year. The average number of days lost to sickness absence was 5.17 per full time equivalent post for the first six months of 2022/23.
• Mental Health/Stress/Depression (32%) continues to be the biggest contributor to sickness absence
The original factsheet, plus an analysis of the council’s performance can be found here
