About Brigstow

Statistical Profile: Brigstow

The city of Brigstow was recorded as having a population of 428,200 in the 2011 census, an increase of 9.8% compared to 2001. The overall population increase in England and Wales was 7%. It covers an area of 115 square km.  To the south lies the predominantly rural county of Westlands. North Westlands is the authority adjacent to the southern borders of Bigstow and has a population of 202,600 (2011 census) The nearest town of any size is Kingsfield situated 15km east of Brigstow, together with the surrounding area of north east Westlands, it has a population of 176,000 (2011 census)

The centre of Brigstow is a mixture of the historic and modern. Forty six percent of all employees in Brigstow work in the city centre area. The city used to be a thriving port but as ships grew in size the River Brig was no longer able to cope with the larger ships and since the 1960s the old harbour area has become a series of recreational marinas with the working docks now located down stream on the coast at Brigmouth. Former warehouses have been ‘gentrified’ into modern apartments. There is little manufacturing industry in Brigstow as 91% of jobs are located in the service sector.

Key statistics for Brigstow are similar to the rest of England and Wales and not dissimilar to those for the whole UK

 

Brigstow

England & Wales

Black and minority ethnic residents (1)  

16.0%

14.0%  [England]

One person households (1)

33.7%

30.0%

Earnings (2)

£26,700

£26,100

House prices - average price of dwellings sold (3)

£174,100

£166,800

Unemployment rate   (4)

7.9%

7.9%

Qualified to Level 4 or above (i.e. Bachelors degree) (1)

32.8%

24.0%

People who travel to work by public transport

13.3%

14.5%

People who travel to work either on foot or bicycle

20.8%

12.8%

Sources :

[1] 2011 Census; Office of National Statistics.

[2] ONS 2010 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings ONS Crown Copyright Reserved [NOMIS] - median gross annual pay of full time workers workplace analysis

[3] HM Land Registry Monthly Report September 2010 © Crown Copyright

[4] ONS Annual Population Survey (July 2009- June 2010) and modelled Brigstow statistics ONS Crown Copyright Reserved [NOMIS]

[5] ONS Annual Population Survey (Jan - Dec 2009) 

 

Notes

  • There has been a significant influx of Polish and Somali migrants over the last decade.  In 2001, 8.2% of the population were born outside the UK, this had risen to 14.7% in 2011. The Somali community has tended to settle in the Stilwell and neighbouring Hilltown districts. On census day 4,947 people were recorded as being born in Somalia, the fourth highest total in the country after Birmingham, Brent and Ealing.
  • Whilst Brigstow has shared in the national decline in the numbers who state their religion as Christian ( down from 62.1% in 2001 to 46.8%) the number of Muslims has increased from 2% to 5.1% (7,664 to 22,016) in that period.
  • The over 65 population is set to increase by 5500 (10%) in the next decade whilst those over 85 are likely to increase by 1450 (17%) in this period. This has significant implications for the cost of social and health care in the next decade.
  • General health indicators show a steady improvement but there is decrease in exercise levels and an increase in drunken / rowdy behaviour in the centre and some parts of south Brigstow.
  • The most recent estimates are that there were 21,750 children living in poverty across Brigstow (27%) this compares with 15.8% in the wider region. There is a very uneven distribution of poverty with some areas having rates of 4% and below while other areas have much higher levels. Sandhill ward has the worst rate of 60% (2,250 children) and neighbouring St Peters is not far behind.
  • In the last year for which statistics are available, Brigstow recorded 53,933 crimes, a reduction of 9% from the previous year.
  • It is estimated that in 5 years time traffic congestion will be costing Brigstow £600million per year. Efforts are being made to deal with this problem but there is concern over the poor condition of the road network. A particular issue is problems with the accessibility of health care facilities for many of the population. The main hospitals are either located in the city centre or 6km north of the centre.