The Research and Consultation department at the Council has recently put together profiles for the 52 wards of Cheshire East.
These profiles have primarily been produced for the councillors and other Cheshire East departments to assist them when planning services and policies. Whilst this project was internally driven the profiles will also be of interest to members of the public because they contain statistics regarding population, unemployment, house prices and income.
Following last year's Boundary Review there are four wards in Wilmslow: Wilmslow Dean Row, Wilmslow East, Wilmslow Lacey Green and Wilmslow West and Chorley.
With nearly 4300 residents Wilmslow Dean Row ward is one of the smaller wards in Cheshire East. The age profile is younger than the Cheshire East average, with the fifth highest proportion of residents of working age.
Average households incomes are the second highest in Cheshire East at 57% above the average and house prices are high.
Recent educational performance at KS4 (GCSE level) are very good, however, this is based on a small number of pupils, and at KS5 (A level) results are similar to the Cheshire East average. Levels of crime are low, both the rate of crime and ASB are about half the rate that of the Cheshire East average.
With less than 4000 residents, Wilmslow East is the second smallest ward in Cheshire East. The age profile is similar to the Cheshire East average with one in five residents being children. The average household incomes are the fourth highest in Cheshire East, they are 48% above the average. House prices are high, the proportion of properties in the top three council tax price brackets are some of the highest of any ward.
Recent education results were excellent, the highest in Cheshire East at KS4 (GCSE level), however, again this is based on a small number of pupils. Both crime and ASB rates are above the Cheshire East average.
With nearly 5000 residents, Wilmslow Lacey Green Ward is the second largest in Wilmslow but is still one of the smaller wards in Cheshire East. The age profile is very similar to the Cheshire East average, however, there are a slightly higher proportion over the age of 65, particularly residents over the age of 75.
Average households incomes in the Wilmslow Lacey Green Ward are similar to the Cheshire East average, marginally higher by 3%, and house prices are slightly above average. The ward has the highest proportion of properties which have been vacant for more than six months.
Recent educational performance was below average, however, again this is based on a small number of pupils and the rate of crime is similar to the Cheshire East average.
With more than 9500 residents, Wilmslow West & Chorley Ward is the largest in Wilmslow and the ninth largest in Cheshire East. The age profile is slightly younger than the Cheshire East average, with children accounting for a fifth of residents. Average household incomes are the twelfth highest in Cheshire East, at 24% above average and house prices are also above average. There are a low proportion of student properties.
Recent education results at KS4 (GCSE level) are very good, whilst performance at KS5 (A level) are similar to the Cheshire East average. Both crime and ASB rates are above the Cheshire East average.
One of my initial thoughts when I saw these ward profiles was why have they been produced now when the census has recently been carried out but during my visit to the Cheshire East Council offices on Friday, June 11th, I learnt that we will have to wait until September 2012 for the first release of census information and there has not yet been an official announcement as to whether the information will be released at ward level.
Councillor David Brown, Cabinet member with responsibility for performance and capacity, said: "Requests for ward profiles and ward level information are received quite frequently by the Council's research and consultation team.
"Following a Boundary Commission review, there are now 52 wards in Cheshire East, but from a statistical perspective, there is very little 'off-the-shelf' information available for them all.
"As there have been many changes to existing wards, and new wards created, the profiles were designed to assist existing ward councillors to further understand their area, and particularly to help inform new councillors.
"The profiles are also useful for council departments, external partners and other interested parties and they help to inform decision making, strategies and policies.
"Meanwhile, the Census response information is not likely to be released by the ONS until at least September. The results will be vital for planning Council services as it is the most comprehensive and robust survey conducted of residents.
"It is used to support decision making, investment in local services and policy in areas such as housing, employment and transport. Population estimates taken from the Census are used to determine the amount of funding for a range of local services including hospitals, GPs and the police and fire services."
The Wilmslow Ward profiles along with those from other local areas can be viewed on the Cheshire East website.
