Issues and SWOT: North Devon

strength

Make the new council housing partnership work for tenants

Barnstaple homes are available with a named management and repairs partner.

A clear service gives tenants a route to resolve problems.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £846 a month (August 2026) in North Devon council area. This is £613 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.5% in Fremington to 40.5% in Barnstaple Central — a gap of 32 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

Replace poor housing with homes people can afford

Ilfracombe’s conversions address vacant buildings and former poor-quality bedsits.

Residents need both a decent building and a sustainable rent.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.7% of people reported bad or very bad health in North Devon council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3% in Marwood to 8.3% in Barnstaple Central — 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.

opportunity

Shape Slade’s woodland with its neighbours

Land purchase has been authorised for a community woodland.

Residents can help define useful access and ongoing care.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

25.8% of people in North Devon council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.4% in Heanton Punchardon to 32.8% in Instow — a gap of 18.4 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

28.5% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in North Devon council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.9% in Heanton Punchardon to 22.7% in Barnstaple Central — a gap of 9.7 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 North Devon 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 10.3% in Mortehoe to 28.8% in Barnstaple Central — a gap of 18.5 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

Keep Barnstaple’s town centre reachable through works

The final parking phase changes vehicle access and connects with the Market Quarter.

Businesses and people with limited mobility need reliable routes.

Evidence