Ward Statistics

Population

National Records of Scotland (NRS) supplies us with annual population estimates for small areas which we build up to give totals and changes at Ward level. These estimates aim to exclude short term migrants.

The Black Isle Ward is a rural ward with a large number of individual settlements and an overall population density above the Highland average. The proportion of people in the 16 to 49 age group is the lowest in Highland, with the second highest proportion in the 50 to 64 age group. The population grew by 5.4% between 2004 and 2009 - the second highest growth rate outside Inverness - but with a slight decrease in the younger age groups.

Total Population

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Total Population	9,715	220,490	5,194,000
Source: GRO(S) 2009 mid-year estimates

Age Structure

Age	Ward (%)	Highland (%)	Scotland (%)	Ward (No.)	Highland (No.)	Scotland (No.)
0-15	17.6	17.7	17.6	1,714	39,120	912,340
16-49	38.5	41.7	46.4	3,736	92,009	2,411,340
50-64	24.6	22.0	19.3	2,386	48,487	1,001,808
65-74	11.3	10.2	9.0	1,098	22,491	469,991
75-84	5.8	6.1	5.7	566	13,534	295,004
85+	2.2	2.2	2.0	215	4,849	103,517
Source: GRO(S) 2009 mid-year estimates

Population Density

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of persons per square kilometre	34.3	8.3	66.7
Area (square kilometres)	284	26,489	77,925
Source: GRO(S) 2008 mid-year estimates

Health

This Census response is one of the best simple measures we have of the health of our population. The rate of self-reported long term illness in the Black Isle is below the Highland average.

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of total population:
with a limiting long-term illness	17.2	18.4	20.3
without a limiting long-term illness	82.8	81.6	79.7
Source: Census 2001

Households & Housing Stock

The following tables provide information on housing and household tenure in this Ward. Housing completions provide us with a picture of the growth of the local area whilst housing tenure and occupancy examine the nature of housing in the Ward.

The number of new homes built during the last five years was around half the Highland average. The Local Plan shows an adequate supply of housing land zoned for development although Scottish Water infrastructure will constrain some local developments.

Number of households

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of households	3,739	89,528	2,192,246
Source: Census 2001

House Prices

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of private house sales in 2009	110	2,490	55,349
Average house price	£198,712	£156,113	£153,057
Median (midpoint) house price	£185,000	£140,000	£134,100
Source: Communities Scotland/Registers of Scotland 2009

House Completions

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of house completions between 2006-2010	152	7,329	n/a
Average number of completions per year	30	1,466	n/a
Source: Highland Council

Housing Land Audit

	Ward	Highland
*Number of new homes that potentially will be built between 2010-2014 :**	837	24,178
* identified in the Local Plan or with planning permission Source: Highland Council

Further information about the Housing Land Audit is available on the Housing Land Audit webpage.

Number of Council Houses

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of Council owned houses	314	13,581	323,138
Source: Highland Council / Scottish Executive April 2011

Housing Tenure

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of households that are:
owner occupied	77.3	65.7	62.6
rented from the Council/Scottish Homes	10.1	18.0	21.6
rented from housing association	0.4	3.6	5.6
privately rented	8.1	8.5	6.7
other	4.1	4.2	3.5
Source: Census 2001

Housing Occupancy

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of housing stock that is:
occupied	93.3	89.8	94.9
second/holiday homes	3.2	6.2	1.3
vacant	3.5	4.0	3.8
Percenatges are based on housing stock figures of 4,007 (Ward), 99,739 (Highland) and 2,308,939 (Scotland) from the Census 2001

Employment & Economic Activity

The following series of tables provide information on employment status and the types of industries that provide jobs in the Ward. This information provides us with an understanding of the nature of employment within the Ward.

13.6% of workers in Black Isle are self employed (Census 2001), above the Highland average. The Ward is a commuter area to Inverness and has the lowest number of jobs in Highland, with a low proportion in manufacturing and a high proportion in the public sector.

Number of People in Employment

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of people in employment *	2,300	109,300	2,420,400
* Rounded to nearest 100 people Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2008

Employment by Sector

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of people employed in:
Agriculture & fishing	4.3	1.7	1.7
Energy & water	0.1	0.8	1.8
Manufacturing	3.9	8.0	8.7
Construction	6.8	6.7	5.9
Distribution, hotels and restaurants	15.5	25.6	22.2
Transport and communications	2.9	6.0	5.1
Banking, finance & insurance, etc.	12.0	14.9	19.1
Public admin., education & health	49.6	31.1	30.0
Other services	5.0	5.3	5.4
Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2008

Economic Activity

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of 16-74 year olds *
Economically active	67.3	68.1	65.0
Full-time employees	36.4	38.9	40.3
Part-time employees	12.1	12.9	11.1
Self employed	13.6	10.2	6.6
Full-time student	1.7	1.8	3.0
Unemployed	3.5	4.3	4.0
* total 16-74 year olds	6,649	152,675	3,731,079
Economically active people are defined as those aged 16 to 74 who are working, actively looking for work or full-time students Source: Census 2001

Qualifications

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
*Percentage of 16-74 year olds whose highest qualification is:**
Group 1	22.0	26.1	24.7
Group 2	15.8	15.3	15.7
Group 3	6.3	6.4	7.0
Group 4	29.0	19.6	19.5
No qualifications	26.9	32.6	33.2
* total 16-74 year olds	6,649	152,675	3,731,079
Group 1: 'O' Grade, Standard Grade, Intermediate I or 2, City & Guilds Craft, SVQ level 1 or 2 or equivalent Group 2: Higher Grade, CSYS, ONC, OND, City & Guilds Advanced Craft, RSA Advanced Diploma, SVQ level 3 or equivalent Group 3: HND, HNC RSA Higher Diploma, SVQ level 4 or 5 or equivalent Group 4: First degree, Higher degree, Professional qualification Source: Census 2001

Unemployment & Benefits

The following tables provide information about the rate of unemployment and those receiving both Incapacity and Council Tax Benefits. One feature of Highland life is that employment is often dependent on seasonal industries such as tourism, and employment rates vary through the year as people take up seasonal jobs but are unemployed for the rest of the year.

The Black Isle is the least dependent on seasonal employment. Both the unemployment and long term unemployment rates are around the lowest in Highland. The Incapacity Benefit Claim rate is one of the lowest in Highland and the Council Tax Benefit claim rate is well below the Highland average.

Latest unemployment rates ( August 2011 )

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Unemployment rate *	1.4	2.8	4.5
Long term unemployment rate **	0.3	0.9	1.7
* Percentage of resident working age population claiming Job Seekers Allowance ** Percentage of resident working age population claiming Job Seekers Allowance for 6 months or more Source: Department for Work and Pensions date from NOMIS

Figure 1: Unemployment Rates (October 2004 to August 2011 )

Figure 2: Long-term Unemployment Rates (October 2004 to August 2011 )

Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance / Employment and Support Allowance ( February 2011 )

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance claimant rate *	3.1	5.4	6.3
Employment and Support Allowance Claimant Rate *	0.0	0.0	0.0
* Percentage of resident working age population Source: Department for Work and Pensions data from NOMIS

Figure 3: Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance / Employment and Supprt Allowance claimant rates (February 2001 to February 2011 )

Income & Deprivation

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, SIMD, is the Executive’s official measure for identifying small area concentrations of multiple deprivation. Household incomes are taken from CACI Paycheck, a commercial database based on lifestyle surveys and market research data, supplied by Communities Scotland to help with housing analysis.

No datazones within the Ward are identified as severely and the proportion of people classed as income deprived and employment deprived are the second lowest in Highland. Black Isle has the third highest average household income in Highland.

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of income deprived people *	680	27,260	779,135
Percentage of income deprived people *	7.0	12.5	15.1
Number of employment deprived people *	300	12,165	373,100
Percentage of employment deprived people *	5.2	9.2	11.6
Number of candidate Data Zones for Regeneration Funding	0	16	976
Average annual income **	£36,206	£31,368	£33,207
Percentage of households earning less than £10k per year **	9.7	12.8	12.6
* Source: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2009updated ** Source: CACI Paycheck 2009