State of Herefordshire Report

The postal ballot in Herefordshire was a huge success; we are doing well when it comes to recycling but employees in the County are still poorly paid.

These statistics and more have been collated as part of recently published State of the Herefordshire Report 2002/2003.

The State of Herefordshire Report, provides data for a set of statistical indicators that are being used to monitor trends in Herefordshire in relation to elsewhere, together with other ‘scene-setting’ facts and figures about the County.

It also points the way for anyone wanting more detailed information about Herefordshire on a wide range of issues.

The report has been put together by the Herefordshire Partnership, an umbrella body covering the council, police, health service, education, business and voluntary organisations, and links with key objectives and targets laid out in the Herefordshire Plan - the key strategic ten-year vision for the County.

The Plan includes ten ambitions that were drawn up following extensive consultation across the county - these ambitions represent those things that are most important to the people of Herefordshire.

Neil Pringle, Chair of Herefordshire Partnership Board, said: “The report gathers together a considerable amount of valuable information about trends in the County that will help us to plan services to meet changing needs and to support bids for funding.”

In this third annual report, graphs and commentaries for a ‘headline’ set of indicators are presented as a separate section; extracts from this section are included (below) in this press release.

Copies of the report will be available for members of the public to use for reference purpose at local libraries and Info in Herefordshire. It is also accessible from www.herefordshirepartnership.com/support_services/research/

Extracts from Section 2.3: Headline Indicators (see report for associated graphs)

• Mortality rates for circulatory diseases and cancers for people aged under 75 are decreasing steadily with Herefordshire having lower rates than regional and national figures.
  Source: Office for National Statistics
  
  
• Following a decrease in the previous year, the emergency psychiatric re-admission rate in Herefordshire for patients aged 16-64 yrs rose to 12.6% in 2002-03, the highest level for the 3-year monitoring period. This contrasts with a steady downward trend for England.
  Source: Department of Health
  

• Herefordshire has fewer vehicle crimes compared with nationally but more than Basic Command Units in similar areas. Vehicle crimes have been decreasing steadily in the county since 2000/2001, which differs from the recent sharp increase in vehicle crimes nationally.
  Sources: West Mercia Constabulary, Home Office
  
• The number of public disorder incidents in Herefordshire increased sharply in 2000/2001 but have been decreasing gradually since then.
  Source: West Mercia Constabulary
  
• The lowest decile* of earnings in Herefordshire continues to be far below regional and national figures. The lowest decile of earnings increased steadily from 1999 to 2003 in the West Midlands and England and Wales. However in Herefordshire the upward trend from 1999 to 2002 changed with a sharp decrease from 2002 to 2003. (* The level of earnings where 10% of the population earn less than a certain amount).
  Source: New Earnings Survey, Office for National Statistics
  
• The all postal ballot in 2003 had a considerable impact on involvement in local elections: -
  · Turnout for ward elections increased from 37% in 2000 to 61% in 2003.
  · Turnout for parish elections increased from 48% in 2000 to 69% in 2003.
  · Only 5% of wards uncontested in 2003, compared to 15.9% in 2000.
  However, the percentage of parishes uncontested in 2003 rose to 84% (from 78% in 2000). The requirement for parish councillors to disclose information about their financial interests may have had an impact.
  Source: Electoral Registration Services, Herefordshire Council
  
• In Dec 2000, Herefordshire had almost the same proportion of residents satisfied with sports and leisure facilities as there are nationally but below the median for unitary councils. Updated figures from the 2003 survey are not available yet.
  Source: Residents’ Satisfaction Survey, Herefordshire Council
  
• Herefordshire compares well with regional and national figures for recycling with a significant increase in the percentage of household waste recycled in the past year. The target of 14% by 2003/2004 has already been achieved and the new kerbside collection scheme introduced by the Council in April 2003 should have an impact on the target of 21% by 2005/2006.
  Source: Waste Management, Herefordshire Council
  
• Herefordshire has almost a third of all Countryside Stewardship agreements in the Region, which represents 21% of all land covered by the agreements in the West Midlands. The number of applications received by DEFRA depends on promotional activities they engage in such as workshops and mail shots to areas where a need to enhance a specific environmental benefit has been identified.
  
• The number of people killed and seriously injured on Herefordshire roads decreased dramatically from 2001 to 2002, after a small increase from 2000 to 2001. The number of children killed and seriously injured decreased dramatically from 2000 to 2001 with a slight increase from 2001 to 2002. The figures are all much lower than the annual average of people killed or seriously injured over 1994 -1998.
  Source: Transportation, Herefordshire Council
  
• There has been a steady increase in the number of affordable homes built in Herefordshire over the last 4 years, with a 12% rise in 2002/2003.
  Source: Planning Services, Herefordshire Council
  
• The number of empty homes brought back into use dropped between 2000/2001 and the following year but rose sharply in 2002/2003, to its highest level yet.
  Source: Housing Services, Herefordshire Council
  
• The annual percentage change in non-agricultural employees since 1998 in Herefordshire varies considerably. In particular there was a sharp decrease in 2000 across all sectors. Regional and national trends show less change in the number of employees over the 4-year period.
  Source: Annual Business Inquiry, ONS
  
• GCSE results for pupils in Herefordshire have continued to improve, remaining above the last reported rates for unitary and English authorities.
  Following an increase of 6 percentage points over the last year, there was some evidence of a narrowing of the gap between the Education Action Zone and elsewhere in 2002 but this improvement was not sustained in 2003.
  Source: Education, Herefordshire Council
  
• The percentage of students continuing in education has recovered from the sudden drop in 2001, although it has not quite reached the levels of 1999 and 2000. Apart from 2001, figures for Herefordshire compare favourably with those for West Midlands and England. Preliminary figures for 2003 suggest that 85% of school leavers have continued in education.
  Source: Connexions
  
  For further information, contact Herefordshire Partnership Research Team
  Sarah Knights Tel: 01432 260442 e-mail: sknights@herefordshire.gov.uk
  Madeleine Spinks Tel: 01432 261944 e-mail: mspinks@herefordshire.gov.uk
  Gill Swaithes Tel: 01432 260442 e-mail:gswaithes@herefordshire.gov.uk