Cost of living
Over the past two years the UK has faced intense cost of living pressures with many people struggling to meet the rising costs of essentials. Although it has gone down over the last year, in September 2023 the UK's consumer price inflation was still 6.7%, creating challenges for many households. These rising costs combine with existing disadvantage and vulnerability within our communities to put many households at greater risk of both immediate hardship and reduced opportunity and wellbeing.
This section of the Community Area Joint Strategic Needs Assessment provides some indicators of the local impact of the cost of living crisis and the vulnerabilities of different groups within each Area Board, and is intended to help support local action. For examples of good practice by councils and local partners, for professionals, please visit the Local Government Association's Cost of Living Hub. If you are a Wiltshire resident in need of support through the crisis, please visit the council's cost of living support webpages.
The CAJSNA information is primarily shown in interactive charts. These allow the user to hover over them and show extra detail within a tooltip, as well as the ability to remove indicators by deselecting them from the legend.
Local Welfare Provision (crisis support)
The local welfare provision (LWP) scheme provides critical short-term help for people in need. Across Wiltshire, the numbers of claims made for LWP support increased by 67% between 2019/20 and 2022/23, from 1006 to 1676 claims. This increase was present in all community areas except Devizes (-32 claims), with the largest proportional increase in the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade area (+789%), and the largest numerical increase in the Salisbury area (+164 claims).
Definition: The local welfare provision scheme provides critical short-term help and assistance with limited one-off household goods.
Data source and time period: Revenues and Benefits, Wiltshire Council. Financial years 2019/20 and 2022/23.
Food insecurity
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) defines food insecurity as: ‘Limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable food in socially acceptable ways (e.g., without resorting to emergency supplies, scavenging, stealing or other coping strategies).’
Food insecurity is a wider term than ‘food poverty’ as it includes those who may be able to afford food but are unable to access or prepare it – for example, elderly people, those who are housebound or with disabilities.
An estimated 14.1% of households in the region are experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity, for example, eating less or skipping meals even when hungry, because they cannot afford or access food. This chart shows the proportion of small neighbourhoods (lower super output areas, or LSOAs) in each Area Board that face high risks of food insecurity, on a national scale. For more information please see the Wiltshire food insecurity profile.
Definition: The complex compositional (individual characteristics) domain of the household food insecurity risk indices for English neighbourhoods. Published at lower super output area (LSOA) level. The chart describes LSOAs that are either wholly or partially within the Area Board. LSOAs that intersect with more than one Area Board are shown more than once. Smith et al's food insecurity risk indices are recommended for use in local policy-making by the Health Foundation. The complex compositional domain of the index, shown here, measures the characteristics of individuals, such as income, housing situation and mental ill health, within the area in order to provide a national ranking of the risk of food insecurity associated with each LSOA.
Data source and time period: Smith et al., Household food insecurity risk indices for English neighbourhoods: Measures to support local policy decisions. 2022. The 14.1% regional figure cited in the text above is from the September 2022 Food Foundation Survey, Round 11, Percentage of households experiencing food insecurity in the past month by UK region.
Fuel poverty
A household is considered to be in fuel poverty when its members cannot afford to keep their home well-lit, warm, with hot water and running appliances, given their income. In the South West region as a whole, 11.9% of households were estimated to be living in fuel poverty in 2021, compared with 10.4% in Wiltshire. This represents 23,209 households in Wiltshire, with higher proportions in the community areas of South West Wiltshire, Pewsey and Malmesbury. For more information on fuel poverty, please see the Warm & Safe Wiltshire website.
Definition: Percentage of households in fuel poverty. Fuel poverty in England is measured using the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) fuel poverty metric, which was set out in the Fuel Poverty Sustainable Warmth strategy published in February 2021. The LILEE indicator considers a household to be fuel poor if: it is living in a property with an energy efficiency rating of band D, E, F or G as determined by the most up-to-date Fuel Poverty Energy Efficiency Rating (FPEER) Methodology; and its disposable income (income after housing costs (AHC) and energy needs) would be below the poverty line, defined as an equivalised disposable income of less than 60% of the national median. Published at lower super output area (LSOA) level, assigned to Area Board (AB) based on proportion of residential dwellings in each LSOA/AB intersect.
Data source and time period: Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, Sub-regional fuel poverty England 2023 (2021 data), Table 3. 2021.
Household deprivation
47% of the households in Wiltshire are deprived on one or more of the Census dimensions of deprivation, 14% are deprived on two or more, and just over 2% of households in the county are deprived on three or more. More deprived households face higher risks related to the cost of living crisis, and the chart shows the variation within Wiltshire. Over half of all the households in Trowbridge, Warminster and Westbury Area Boards are deprived on at least one of the Census dimensions of deprivation, while over 3% of households in Trowbridge and Westbury Area Boards are deprived on three or more dimensions.
Definition: The dimensions of deprivation used to classify households are indicators based on four selected household characteristics:
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- Education: A household is classified as deprived in the education dimension if no one has at least level 2 education and no one aged 16 to 18 years is a full-time student.
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- Employment: A household is classified as deprived in the employment dimension if any member, not a full-time student, is either unemployed or economically inactive due to long-term sickness or disability.
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- Health: A household is classified as deprived in the health dimension if any person in the household has general health that is bad or very bad or is identified as disabled. People who have assessed their day-to-day activities as limited by long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses are considered disabled. This definition of a disabled person meets the harmonised standard for measuring disability and is in line with the Equality Act (2010).
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- Housing: A household is classified as deprived in the housing dimension if the household's accommodation is either overcrowded, in a shared dwelling, or has no central heating.
Published at output area (OA) level, allocated to Area Board according to location of OA's population-weighted centroid.
Data source and time period: Office for National Statistics, 2021 Census. Table TS011: Households by deprivation dimensions. March 2021.
Low income - working-age
Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit for people of working age who are on a low income. It is payable whether or not the individual is in work. It is gradually replacing six historical means tested benefits, known as legacy benefits, which some people still receive, and as such this chart does not include all working-age people in Wiltshire on a low income. The distribution of Universal Credit recipients shown in the chart however provides a strong indication of the distribution of working-age people on a low income across the county. In September 2023, just under 34,000 working-age people in Wiltshire received UC - 11% of the 16-64 year old population. The chart also shows the proportions of UC recipients by their employment status. Across Wiltshire as a whole, 44% of UC recipients (approximately 15,000 people) are in employment: this rises to over half of claimants in the Area Boards of Stonehenge and Tidworth.
Definition: Percentage of 16-64 year olds in receipt of Universal Credit, by employment status. Numerator is a count of the number of people on Universal Credit on the second Thursday of the month, published at ward level, aggregated to Area Board level (AB). Denominator is the 16-64 year old population, 2021 Census, Table RM121, published at ward level, aggregated to AB level.
Data source and time period: Numerator: Department for Work and Pensions, DWP Stat-Xplore. People on Universal Credit dataset. February 2023. Denominator: Office for National Statistics, 2021 Census Table RM121 Sex by age. March 2021.
Low income - pensioners
Pension Credit is separate from a state pension and provides financial support to people over state pension age on a low income. Pension Credit can also help to provide assistance to persons with severe disabilities, who are carers or who have responsibility for a child or young person. To be eligible, claimants must have reached state pension age and live in England, Scotland or Wales. In February 2023, just over 8,000 people, or 7.5% of people of state pension age in Wiltshire, were in receipt of Pension Credit. More information on Pension Credit, including more detailed information on the types of support available and eligibility criteria, can be found on the government's Pension Credit webpages.
Definition: Percentage of individuals of state pension age in receipt of Pension Credit. Published at ward level, aggregated to Area Board level.
Data source and time period: Department for Work and Pensions, DWP Stat-Xplore. Benefit combinations dataset. February 2023.
Low income - children
11,613 children were provisionally estimated by the Department for Work and Pensions to be living in low income families in Wiltshire in 2021/22 - this is 12.7% of all children in the county and the estimate assesses income before housing costs (BHC) and so is likely to under-represent the reality. There was considerable variation across the county, with the proportion of children in low income families in Westbury Area Board nearly double that in the Marlborough area (17.3% to 9.1%).
Definition: Children (aged under 16) living in relative low income families. Relative low-income is defined as a family in low income Before Housing Costs (BHC) in the reference year. A family must have claimed Child Benefit and at least one other household benefit (Universal Credit, tax credits, or Housing Benefit) at any point in the year to be classed as low income in these statistics. Gross income measure is Before Housing Costs (BHC) and includes contributions from earnings, state support and pensions. Housing costs in Wiltshire are high and income after housing costs (AHC) is not assessed in this measure. For more detail on children in AHC low income families in Wiltshire, please see the End Child Poverty analysis. Data published at ward level, aggregated to Area Board level.
Data source and time period: Department for Work and Pensions, Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2022. 2021/22 (provisional data).
Children in low income by family working status
'In-work' status is defined as a family that have an accumulated period of at least 26 weeks paid employment or self-employment within the 52 week tax year. Employment activity is accumulated from either (or both) the adult claimant of Child Benefit and any partner(s) in the tax year. 75% of children who are in low income families in Wiltshire live in families defined as 'in work'.
Definition: Children (aged under 16) living in relative low income families by family working status. Relative low-income is defined as a family in low income Before Housing Costs (BHC) in the reference year. A family must have claimed Child Benefit and at least one other household benefit (Universal Credit, tax credits, or Housing Benefit) at any point in the year to be classed as low income in these statistics. Gross income measure is Before Housing Costs (BHC) and includes contributions from earnings, state support and pensions. Housing costs in Wiltshire are high and income after housing costs (AHC) is not assessed in this measure. For more detail on children in AHC low income families in Wiltshire, please see the End Child Poverty analysis. 'In-work' status is defined as a family that have an accumulated period of at least 26 weeks paid employment or self-employment within the 52 week tax year. Employment activity is accumulated from either (or both) the adult claimant of Child Benefit and any partner(s) in the tax year. Data published at ward level, aggregated to Area Board level.
Data source and time period: Department for Work and Pensions, Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2022. 2021/22 (provisional data).
Children in low income by family type
According to the 2021 Census, just under a fifth of families with dependent children in Wiltshire are lone parent families, but such families face a higher risk of poverty than other family types due to the lack of an additional earner, low rates of maintenance payments, gender inequality in employment and pay, and childcare costs. 46% of children in low income families in Wiltshire in 2021/22 lived in lone parent families, rising to over half in Corsham and Tidworth Area Boards.
Definition: Children (aged under 16) living in relative low income families by family type. Relative low-income is defined as a family in low income Before Housing Costs (BHC) in the reference year. A family must have claimed Child Benefit and at least one other household benefit (Universal Credit, tax credits, or Housing Benefit) at any point in the year to be classed as low income in these statistics. Gross income measure is Before Housing Costs (BHC) and includes contributions from earnings, state support and pensions. Housing costs in Wiltshire are high and income after housing costs (AHC) is not assessed in this measure. For more detail on children in AHC low income families in Wiltshire, please see the End Child Poverty analysis. Data published at ward level, aggregated to Area Board level.
Data source and time period: Department for Work and Pensions, Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2022. 2021/22 (provisional data).
People with disabilities
People of all ages with disabilities are more vulnerable to rising costs of essentials because, on average, energy and food make up a greater share of their budgets than is the case for their non-disabled counterparts. This chart shows the percentage of people of all ages who in the 2021 Census assessed their daily activities as limited, a lot or a little, by a long-term health condition or illness.
Definition: People who assessed their day-to-day activities as limited by long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses are considered disabled. This definition of a disabled person meets the harmonised standard for measuring disability and is in line with the Equality Act (2010). Published at output area (OA) level, allocated to Area Board according to location of OA's population-weighted centroid.
Data source and time period: Office for National Statistics, 2021 Census, Table TS038 - Disability. March 2021.
People who are unable to work due to long-term illness or disability
Appropriate employment supports both local economies and people's physical and mental health. While not everyone with disabilities can work, the right care and support can allow many people to thrive in the workplace.
This chart shows the distribution of people aged 16+ who at the time of the 2021 Census were 'economically inactive' (unable to work) due to a long-term sickness or disability. More than 3.5% of people aged 16+ in the Trowbridge, Salisbury and Westbury areas are unable to work due to long-term illness or disability, while the Wiltshire average is 2.9%. While the cost of living crisis affects people both in and out of work, people with disabilities have been particularly hard hit due to having, on average, lower incomes and higher costs than their non-disabled counterparts. People whose disabilities or illnesses prevent them from working also face compounded risks such as loneliness and social isolation.
Definition: People aged 16 years and over are classified as economically inactive if they did not have a job between 15 March to 21 March 2021 and had not looked for work between 22 February to 21 March 2021 or could not start work within two weeks. Published at output area (OA) level, allocated to Area Board according to location of OA's population-weighted centroid.
Data source and time period: Office for National Statistics, 2021 Census, TS066 - Economic activity status. March 2021.
Housing affordability ratios
The median house price in Wiltshire has increased by nearly 20% in the past five years. The ratio of residence-based earnings to house prices is published at both median and lower quartile (LQ) levels - the latter is a better guide than the median to the accessibility of home ownership to first-time buyers, who typically are on lower incomes, and buying lower-priced homes, than those who already own property. The LQ housing affordability ratio exceeded 10:1 for the first time in Wiltshire in 2021, meaning that residents on the lowest 25% of incomes are required to spend 10 times their annual income to afford a property in the lowest 25% of house prices. In 2022, the LQ ratio decreased slightly to 9.5 times income, but housing affordability remains a significant issue across Wiltshire. For more detail on house prices, please see the Housing section of this JSNA.
Definition: Ratio of median and lower quartile house prices to median and lower quartile gross annual resident earnings.
Data source and time period: Office for National Statistics, House price to residence-based earnings ratio. Tables 5c and 6c. 2018-2022.
Domestic energy costs
Rising energy costs have made it more expensive to fuel the heating, lighting and hot water in our homes. The chart shows considerable variation across Wiltshire in the average costs in 2022, for properties that received an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), with Pewsey Area Board the most expensive. EPCs also provide an estimate of the average annual costs should energy efficiency recommendations be followed: for the properties shown in the chart, the savings ranged from £166 per year in the Salisbury area to £435 per year in Pewsey Area Board. Warm and Safe Wiltshire is a commitment from Wiltshire Council, Swindon Borough Council and their partners to help residents live in healthier, safer and more energy efficient homes. It aims to do this through, for example, the installation of draught-proofing measures, providing advice on reducing energy use, reducing condensation and damp problems, and controlling heating. For more information, please visit the Warm and Safe webpage.
Definition: Energy Performance Certificates - estimated annual costs for lighting, heating and hot water - current and potential with energy saving measures. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) describe the energy performance of a property and what can be done to improve it. The chart includes EPCs for all properties that were constructed, let or sold, or where an EPC was requested, within 2022, including those that were let or sold more than once, and for all types and sizes of property. EPCs include current estimated costs for lighting, heating and hot water, as well as an estimate of potential costs should energy efficiency recommendations be carried out.
Data source and time period: Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, Energy Performance of Buildings Data: England and Wales. 2022.