Issues and SWOT: Cambridge

strength

Keep Cambridge’s established market working

The Market Square scheme is designed around the existing seven-day market.

An established market provides a practical starting point for improvements.

Evidence

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

3.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Cambridge council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.3% in Newnham to 5.2% in King's Hedges — a gap of 3.9 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.

strength

Connect local skills to local opportunities

55.8% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Cambridge council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 1.5% in Newnham to 17.2% in King's Hedges — a gap of 15.7 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.

weakness

Reset the Hartree plan after the funding refusal

The council says Hartree cannot proceed as proposed because funding to relocate the wastewater treatment plant was refused.

Proposed response: Update local expectations and distinguish any workable alternatives from the scheme that depended on relocation.

Evidence

weakness

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,805 a month (August 2026) in Cambridge council area. This is £346 higher than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 20.2% in Cherry Hinton to 50.5% in Market — a gap of 30.3 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.

opportunity

Use small sites to provide the family homes people need

Cambridge’s six-site programme prioritises larger council homes and includes homes designed for wheelchair users.

Proposed response: Track the home sizes and accessibility actually delivered, alongside total numbers.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

11.4% of people in Cambridge council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 7.6% in Newnham to 17.3% in West Chesterton — a gap of 9.7 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

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Cambridge 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

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 6.5% in Newnham to 19.8% in King's Hedges — a gap of 13.2 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

Do not count Hartree homes without an alternative infrastructure plan

The planned neighbourhood cannot proceed as proposed after relocation funding was refused.

Housing forecasts need to reflect the unresolved wastewater constraint.

Evidence