Issues and SWOT

strength

Make the renewed leisure centre work for more residents

Farnworth has a completed leisure investment to build on.

Proposed response: Check prices, opening hours and step-free access.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £894 a month (August 2026) in Bolton council area. This is £565 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.7% in Bradshaw to 37.2% in Queens Park & Central — a gap of 28.5 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

A new workspace is only useful if firms can use it

The Wellsprings provides workspace; the reviewed update does not establish occupancy or who benefits.

Proposed response: Publish available space, costs and eligibility.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in Bolton council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.6% in Bromley Cross to 8.2% in Farnworth South — a gap of 4.6 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

Turn permission into homes people can reach

Church Wharf offers housing close to the centre, but permission is not delivery.

Proposed response: Publish the construction sequence and housing mix.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

17.1% of people in Bolton council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 9.7% in Rumworth to 27.4% in Bradshaw — a gap of 17.7 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

27.4% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Bolton council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.1% in Bromley Cross to 34.7% in Rumworth — a gap of 22.7 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

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.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 10% in Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor to 35.6% in Rumworth — a gap of 25.7 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

Keep the next construction phase from weakening nearby trade

Church Wharf is a large staged scheme; access and timing are practical risks to manage, not evidence of failure.

Proposed response: Agree clear access and delivery arrangements with nearby businesses.

Evidence