Key Facts and Figures

Population

Size & Distribution

• Cheshire East has a population of 358,900 (2006 mid-year estimate)
• This is 5% of the North West’s population and 0.7% of England & Wales' population Density
• The area of Cheshire East is 116,638 hectares
• The population density is 3.07 people per hectare.

Age Distribution

% of Age Groups Distribution (2006 Mid Year Estimate)
Cheshire East

• The age structure of the Cheshire East is slightly older than that of England & Wales
• 5% of Cheshire East’s population is aged under 5 and 12% are aged 5 to 14
• 18% are aged 65 or more
• There will be around 5% fewer children living in Cheshire East by 2026 than there were in 2006
• The number of people aged 85+ will double between 2006 and 2026.

Family Structure

• In 2001, the average household size was 2.36
• 25% of Cheshire East households were all pensioner households (North West 24%, England & Wales 24%), of these 21,118 (57%) were pensioners living alone.

Households

• In 2001, there were 147,144 households with residents in Cheshire East 99% of people lived in households (England & Wales 98%) and 1% in communal establishments
• Household composition generally reflected the England & Wales patterns
• 29% of households had dependent children (North West 30%, England & Wales 29%)
• 28% of households were people living alone (North West 31%, England & Wales
• 30%).

Housing

• In 2006 the average house price was £210,600 compared to the North West average £157,500
• In 2006 there were 160,700 dwellings in Cheshire East with the highest % in council tax band C (20%).

Ethnic Background and Religion

• According to the 2005 ethnicity estimates, 3% of Cheshire East’s population was ‘non-white’
• In 2001 80% of the Cheshire East population said they were Christian compared with 78% in the North West and 72% in England & Wales
• 96% were born in the United Kingdom.

Socio-Economic Group

• In 2001, 32% of Cheshire East’s workers were managerial and professional workers (social class AB), compared with 18% in the North West and 21% in England & Wales
• 19% of Cheshire workers were semiskilled and unskilled manual (social class Cheshire East Profile February 2008 4 D), compared with 19% in the North West and 16% in England & Wales.

Sources: Census of Population 2001 ONS Population & ethnicity estimates
Cheshire CC Population Estimates Land Registry
Valuation Office Agency

Economic Trends

Employment

• Total number of employees in Cheshire East was 167,600 in 2006
• 17% of employees worked in manufacturing in 2006, a higher proportion than for Great Britain (11%)
• 77% were employed in services, a slightly lower proportion than for Great Britain (83%)
• Agricultural employment stood at 5,300 in 2006
• The average household income was£37,000
• East Cheshire has employment concentrations in agriculture (LQ1 of 1.7), chemicals and pharmaceuticals (6.7), rubber and plastic products (1.7), miscellaneous non-metallic mineral products (1.9) and computing services (1.5).

Qualifications

The 2001 Census found:

• 24% of residents aged 16-74 in Cheshire East had qualifications at degree level or higher compared with 17% in the North West and 20% in England & Wales
• 25% of residents aged 16-74 had no qualifications at all (32% in the North West, 29% in England & Wales)
• 37% of Cheshire East residents had qualifications less than 2 ‘A-level’ equivalents (36% in the North West and England & Wales) and 32% had 2 ‘A-level’ equivalents or more (25% in the North West and 28% in England & Wales.

Unemployment

• Unemployment in December 2007 was 1.3% (residence rate), compared with a Great Britain rate of 2.1%, and North West rate of 2.4%.

Businesses

• There were 14,890 VAT registered businesses in 2006. 1,335 businesses had registered in the previous year.

Office for National Statistics (NOMIS) IDBR 2005 Agricultural Census 2006
1 Location quotients (LQs) 1 can be used to show whether a particular activity is more concentrated in a particular geographical area than it is nationally.

Leisure & Recreation

Visits to Cheshire East Attractions
There are a number of historic properties, gardens, museums, art galleries and other attractions across Cheshire East.

In 2006,

• 830,800 people visited Tatton Country Park, Macclesfield
• 63,947 people visited Jodrell Bank
• 104,666 people visited Quarry Bank Mill
• In the 2006 Cheshire Community survey 76% of residents used the internet. 68 % had broadband.

Sources: North West Tourist Board Tatton Park, Cheshire CC Cheshire East Profile February 2008 5

Health

General Health

Limiting long-term illness (LLTI) is a self reported measure of someone’s health, asking if a person has ‘any long-term illness, health problem or handicap which limited work or daily activities’, based on the 2001 Census:

• 17% of people in Cheshire East had a limiting long-term illness compared with 21% of people in the North West and 18% in England & Wales.

In the 2006 Cheshire Community Survey

• 17% said they smoked
• 85% drank alcohol, with 8% drinking more than 22 units a week.

Disability Living Allowance

• At May 2007, 4% of the total population were claiming disability living allowance, compared to 6% for the North West
• Of these claimants 17% were due to mental health causes compared to 15% for the North West.

Births and Deaths

• In 2006 the crude birth rate (births per 1,000 population) was 11 compared with 12 for the North West and 13 for England & Wales
• The crude death rate (deaths per 1,000 population) was 10 compared to 10 for the North West and 9 for England & Wales.

Sources: Census of Population 2001

Education

• In 2006 63% of GCSE candidates achieved 5 or more GCSE’s at grade A*- C
• 86% of pupils achieved level 4 or above in key stage 2 English with 82% for Key Stage 2 Maths
• 77% of pupils achieved level 5 or above in key stage 3 English with 82% for Key Stage 3 Maths.

Source: Research & Statistics, Education Department,
Cheshire CC

Environment

Car Availability

• Car availability in 2001 (from the 2001 Census) was high with 82% of households owning at least one car (England & Wales 73% car ownership)
• 40% of Cheshire East households owned 2 or more cars (England & Wales 29%).

Travel to Work

• The car was the dominant means of travel to work by Cheshire East residents (72% drivers or passengers in the 2001 Census)
• Other means of travel to work were: foot (9%), bus (2%), and train (2%)
• At the 2001 Census the most popular destinations outside Cheshire East to work were Manchester and Cheshire West & Chester
• The most popular origins for people travelling into Cheshire East were Cheshire West & Chester and Stockport.

CO2 emissions

• Within East Cheshire Domestic CO2 emissions per capita was 2.66 tonnes (UK = 2.5 tonnes).

Climate Change

In the 2007 Cheshire Omnibus Survey:

• 87% said that recycling was important to combat climate change
• 85% also said waste minimisation was important to combat climate change.

Sources: Census of Population 2001 Defra 2007 Cheshire East Profile February 2008 6

Social Inclusion & Regeneration

• 6% of Cheshire East’s population live within the top 20% most deprived areas in England (2006 estimates)

Sources: Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007

Community Involvement /Cohesion

In the 2007 Cheshire Omnibus Survey:

• 39% of respondents said they had undertaken voluntary work
• 32% agreed that they can influence decisions in their local area
• 67% of respondents said that they agreed they lived in an area where people from different backgrounds got on well together.