Issues and SWOT

strength

Build on Kirkby’s existing shops

Kirkby has completed retail investment as a base for its next phase.

Proposed response: Check pedestrian access between old and new shops.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £858 a month (August 2026) in Knowsley council area. This is £601 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.5% in Roby to 21.4% in Prescot North — a gap of 13.9 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

New housing needs services alongside it

Halewood’s programme explicitly responds to housing growth with service and transport improvements.

Proposed response: Publish housing occupations beside school, transport and service milestones.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

8.6% of people reported bad or very bad health in Knowsley council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 5.5% in Swanside to 11.5% in Northwood — a gap of 5.9 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

Connect Huyton’s shops, homes and transport

Huyton’s programme brings different town-centre uses together.

Proposed response: Show the agreed development phases and public routes.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

17% of people in Knowsley council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.5% in Shevington to 23.3% in Roby — a gap of 10.8 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.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

23.8% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Knowsley council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 18.8% in Roby to 34.8% in Northwood — a gap of 16 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 Knowsley 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

4 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 15.2% in Roby to 37.3% in Northwood — a gap of 22.2 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

Energy works need a plan for service continuity

Halewood leisure works alter an operating public facility. Disruption and running costs are practical risks to manage.

Proposed response: Publish temporary access and service changes.

Evidence