strength
Use the museum’s longer lease to plan for the future
Ely Museum has an extended lease to support future investment.
A clearer tenure position can help the museum seek funding.
What could help →East Cambridgeshire, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire local authority area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £1,038 a month (August 2026) in East Cambridgeshire council area. This is £421 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10% in Sutton to 25.3% in Ely East — a gap of 15.3 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.
What could help →strength
Bring support closer to people in poor health
4.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in East Cambridgeshire council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.7% in Ely North to 5% in Littleport — a gap of 2.4 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.
What could help →strength
Connect local skills to local opportunities
35% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in East Cambridgeshire council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.2% in Ely North to 21% in Soham South — a gap of 9.8 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.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Close the gap between a funded route and a usable journey
The Ely–Soham route has a construction target of March 2030.
Residents still need workable journeys while delivery is pending.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Follow Arbour Square’s grant through to social rented homes
The council has approved funding to convert planned sale homes at Arbour Square to social rent.
Proposed response: Track the agreed change through to completed homes being available in the intended tenure.
What could help →opportunity
Make Ely’s new routes work as complete journeys
Ely–Soham has entered a funded programme, while New Barns Avenue has a separately listed footpath scheme. Neither announcement proves an open, continuous journey.
Proposed response: show each route’s remaining gaps, safe crossings and connections to everyday destinations.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
20.8% of people in East Cambridgeshire council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 13% in Ely North to 25.8% in Bottisham — a gap of 12.8 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.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in East Cambridgeshire 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.
What could help →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.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 9.4% in Ely North to 17.5% in Littleport — a gap of 8.1 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
threat
Keep affordable-housing funding tied to homes people can occupy
The Arbour Square grant changes the intended tenure of planned homes.
A funding decision is not proof that homes have been let.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Follow Arbour Square’s grant through to social rented homesArbour Square affordable homes: Council grant approved. See the dated project evidence. | East Cambs Trading Company and East Cambridgeshire District Council | |
| Make Ely’s new routes work as complete journeysEly–Soham decision of 6 October 2026; New Barns Avenue programme decision of 3 March 2026. | Cambridgeshire County Council with East Cambridgeshire District Council and delivery partners | |
| Use the museum’s longer lease to plan for the futureEly Museum: long-term lease: Lease extended to support future investment. See the retained dated source. | East Cambridgeshire District Council and Ely Museum | |
| Close the gap between a funded route and a usable journeyEly to Soham walking, wheeling and cycling route: Funding programme approved; construction completion targeted for March 2030. See the retained dated source. | Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council and the Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust | |
| Keep affordable-housing funding tied to homes people can occupyArbour Square affordable homes: Council grant approved. See the retained dated source. | East Cambs Trading Company and East Cambridgeshire District Council | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,038 a month (August 2026) in East Cambridgeshire council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 10% in Sutton to 25.3% in Ely East — a gap of 15.3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 14 of 14 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Plan homes and care around an older population20.8% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 13% in Ely North to 25.8% in Bottisham — a gap of 12.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 14 of 14 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health4.1% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.7% in Ely North to 5% in Littleport — a gap of 2.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 14 of 14 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities35% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.2% in Ely North to 21% in Soham South — a gap of 9.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 14 of 14 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 9.4% in Ely North to 17.5% in Littleport — a gap of 8.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 14 of 14 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |