Issues and SWOT

strength

Measure the completed heat network’s performance

Jarrow has an operating heat network serving public buildings.

Proposed response: Publish connected buildings and actual energy use.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £743 a month (August 2026) in South Tyneside council area. This is £716 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 5.9% in Cleadon Village & East Boldon to 29.2% in West Park — a gap of 23.2 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

An occupied neighbourhood still has construction around it

Holborn has occupied phases alongside continuing development.

Proposed response: Keep resident access and construction information clear.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

7.7% of people reported bad or very bad health in South Tyneside council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.3% in Cleadon Village & East Boldon to 10.2% in Simonside & Rekendyke — a gap of 6.9 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.

opportunity

Link the college move to local work and services

The new campus would bring learning activity into South Shields’ centre.

Proposed response: Publish course access and travel arrangements.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

20.9% of people in South Tyneside council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.5% in Hebburn North to 27.9% in Cleadon Village & East Boldon — a gap of 13.3 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

26.1% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in South Tyneside council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.2% in Cleadon Village & East Boldon to 26.6% in Biddick & All Saints — a gap of 15.4 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 South Tyneside 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

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.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 9.1% in Cleadon Village & East Boldon to 31.2% in Simonside & Rekendyke — a gap of 22.1 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Technical problems can change the solution

Hebburn’s original mine-water approach had to change after drilling difficulties.

Proposed response: Explain the final system and what changed.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2