The Newsletter of Somerset Intelligence

SINePost

The newsletter of Somerset Intelligence

JSNA - Housing

We have expanded the Housing section of this website considerably. It now features up-to-date facts and figures for Somerset relating to issues such as affordability, housebuilding, homelessness, home improvements and support for vulnerable people. The information highlights the important relationship between housing and wellbeing of residents and tenants.

Please go to:

Central heating and trends in homelessness and in priority need have also been added at District level on INFORM Somerset.

Volunteering statistics

People in the South West of England are more likely than average to engage in regular formal volunteering according to the latest annual results from the Cabinet Office’s Community Life Survey. The survey aims to tracks trends and developments related to social action and community empowerment.

According to the results for 2013/14, an estimated 32% of adults in the South West participated in formal volunteering at least once a month (compared to 27% for England as a whole). If this figure were applied to Somerset’s population it would equate to around 140,000 regular volunteers in the county.

Nationally, it is the 65 to 74 age group is which most likely to be engaged in regular formal volunteering, followed by the 16 to 24 age group.

The full 2013/14 dataset is available at:

Local Health Profiles

Health in Somerset is better (or significantly better) than the England average in respect of most of the indicators in the latest annual profile from Public Health England (PHE).

In particular, the county fares particularly well for smoking prevalence, acute sexually transmitted infections, early deaths from cardiovascular conditions and obese children. Note that this reflects the average and there are parts of Somerset where these may be more prevalent.

However, Somerset performs significantly worse than the England average in terms of: smoking in pregnancy; incidence of malignant melanoma; under 18s alcohol-specific hospital stays; and hospital stays for self-harm.

The 2014 Profiles - at county and district level - are available on the Somerset Intelligence website:

Birth Rates

The number of births in Somerset declined for the second year running in 2013 according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS):

There were a total of 5,538 live births in Somerset in 2013 compared to 5,707 in 2012. Somerset’s general fertility rate (GFR) in 2013 was 62.0 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44, which was below the national rate but above the South West regional rate. Within Somerset, South Somerset had the highest fertility rate (66.6) and Mendip the lowest (56.6).

Notably, the average age of mothers in England and Wales reached 30 for the first time in 2013, having increased year-on-year since 1975.

Healthy and Disability-Free Life Expectancy

The Office for National Statistics has published new data on Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) and Disability-Free Life Expectancy (DFLE). HLE estimates lifetime spent in good health, while DFLE estimates lifetime free from limiting persistent illness or disability.

The Somerset HLE in 2010-12 is significantly higher than the national value for both males and females, and the Somerset female HLE is significantly higher than the state pension age of 65.

The Somerset DFLE at birth and at age 65, for males and females, is almost always higher than the national figure. The single exception is for males at birth in 2006-08. However, there was a significant improvement in DFLE for males at birth between 2006-08 and 2009-11.

The datasets, including full definitions of HLE and DFLE, are available at:

Healthy Life Expectancy -

Disability Free Life Expectancy -

Overseas Nationals working in Somerset

The number of overseas nationals registering for a National Insurance number (NINo) in Somerset rose slightly in 2013/14 compared to 2012/13 according to figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

There were 2,429 registrations in 2013/14, compared to 2,293 a year earlier. The number of registrations has fallen significantly from a peak of 3,351 in 2005/06. This followed the ascension of the A8 eastern European states to the EU in 2004.

At a local (MSOA) level, the Pen Mill/Reckleford area of Yeovil had the highest rate of NINo registrations to overseas nationals in Somerset last year (30 per 1,000 adult population), followed by central Bridgwater (25 per 1,000).

The full national dataset is available through the DWP’s ‘Stat-Xplore’ tool:

Census 2011: Origin-Destination statistics

The Office for National Statistics has released Origin-Destination data (also known as ‘flow’ data) from the last census, including travel-to-work and migration patterns:

The figures confirm Taunton Deane as the only district in Somerset to experience a net inflow of commuters on a usual working day. Commuters typically move within or between neighbouring authorities but an estimated 3,769 Somerset residents commute to Bristol, 1,340 commute to Exeter and 564 to Westminster/City of London.

In terms of migration, an estimated 3,777 people resident in Somerset on Census day 2011 were living abroad one year earlier. The most common countries of origin for these ‘new’ Somerset residents were Poland, France, Australia, Spain and the United States.

People from at least 133 countries moved to Somerset in the period.

The ONS has produced an Origin-Destination ‘visualisation tool’, available at:

Welfare Reform: Personal Independence Payments

The Department for Work and Pensions is now releasing monthly figures on people in receipt of Personal Independence Payments (PIP). PIP forms part of the reform of the welfare system and is being introduced to new claimants. It will replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for all claimants over the coming years.

As of February 2014 there were 231 people in receipt of PIP in Somerset, most commonly in relation to ‘Malignant diseases’ and ‘Psychiatric disorders’. The data is available through the DWP’s Stat-Xplore tool:

Classifications for Output Areas

The Office for National Statistics has now published ‘area classifications’ based on 2011 Census Output Areas. Area classifications group together geographic areas according to key characteristics common to the population in that grouping:

The classification comprises 8 ‘supergroups’, 26 groups and 76 subgroups. Common subgroups in Somerset include ‘Ageing Rural Industry Workers’ and ‘Self-sufficient Retirement’. Other less common groupings include ‘Young Hard-Pressed Families’ and ‘Hard-Pressed European Settlers’.

Census Output Areas consist of an average of around 100 households. More detailed commercial geo-demographic segmentation systems (such as those available to Somerset Intelligence Partnership members and other public bodies) can provide more detailed classifications at postcode and/or household level.

Forthcoming Statistical Releases

The following are due for release at sub-regional geographies during August:

Population by Country of Birth and Nationality – 2013 (ONS)
Parents' country of birth, England and Wales – 2013 (ONS)
Local Area Migration Indicators Suite (ONS)
Benefit Cap Statistics - data to June 2014 (DWP)
Public Health Outcomes Framework - August 2014 Data Update (PHE)