Issues and SWOT: Wealden

strength

Learn from completed housing and business schemes

Coronation Place and the Brickworks have been delivered.

Council land can support local housing and employment needs.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,262 a month (August 2026) in Wealden council area. This is £197 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.2% in Maresfield to 22.5% in Polegate North — a gap of 14.4 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

4.4% of people reported bad or very bad health in Wealden council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.8% in Crowborough South East to 8.1% in Pevensey Bay — a gap of 5.3 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

Replace cramped premises with a usable health service

The Polegate proposal responds to outdated, undersized surgeries.

Patients need access to care, not only a better building.

Evidence

opportunity

Make the new sports hub reachable and affordable

The Lower Dicker hub is open with varied facilities.

Participation depends on price, transport and suitable sessions.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

26.5% of people in Wealden council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 17.6% in Polegate Central to 43.1% in South Downs — a gap of 25.6 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

32.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Wealden council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8.6% in Withyham to 25.4% in Hailsham East — a gap of 16.8 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.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Wealden 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 7.4% in Danehill & Fletching to 27.9% in Hailsham East — a gap of 20.5 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

Check benefits after handover

Homes, units and sports buildings have different operating needs.

Good construction does not guarantee lasting social or economic gains.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2 · Evidence 3