Issues and SWOT: Huntingdonshire

strength

Use the confirmed start at Huntingdon to track delivery

The first hub construction phase has started with approved investment.

Residents can follow a tangible programme.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,057 a month (August 2026) in Huntingdonshire council area. This is £402 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.3% in Holywell-cum-Needingworth to 26.8% in Huntingdon North — a gap of 17.5 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.

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

4.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Huntingdonshire council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.5% in Great Paxton to 5.8% in Great Staughton — a gap of 3.4 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.

weakness

Support Priory Centre users through the longer closure

The project page moves handover to July 2027.

Groups and events need credible alternatives and booking information.

Evidence

opportunity

Make the Ramsey proposal useful to small traders

Flexible retail units are proposed alongside Great Whyte improvements.

A small unit can offer a lower-commitment route into trading.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

20.2% of people in Huntingdonshire council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 4.6% in St Neots East to 28.9% in Buckden — a gap of 24.3 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

33.4% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Huntingdonshire council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.8% in St Neots East to 22.8% in Huntingdon North — a gap of 13 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 Huntingdonshire 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 7.2% in Great Paxton to 22.7% in Huntingdon North — a gap of 15.5 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

Plan the sports hub’s operation as well as construction

The hub is being delivered in phases.

New facilities need staff, maintenance and affordable sessions.

Evidence