Ward Statistics

Population

The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) 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.

Eilean a' Cheò is a sparsely populated rural Ward with a below average population density. The overall population profile is slightly older than the Highland average, with high proportions in the 50+ age group and one of the highest proportions of people aged over 85. The population grew by 4% between 2001 and 2005, the second highest growth rate outside Inverness, as a result of inward migration. Over half of the house sales in some settlements were to buyers from outwith Highland. 110 overseas migrant workers moved into the Ward between 2002 and 2006, half from eastern Europe.

Total Population

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Total Population	9,780	215,310	5,116,900
Source: GRO(S) 2006 mid-year estimates

Age Structure

Age	Ward (%)	Highland (%)	Scotland (%)	Ward (No.)	Highland (No.)	Scotland (No.)
0-15	18.0	18.5	18.2	1,694	39,392	921,833
16-49	40.5	42.6	46.9	3,894	91,485	2,397,345
50-64	24.0	21.3	18.5	2,431	46,396	959,754
65-74	9.0	9.7	9.0	926	20,786	455,744
75-84	6.1	6.0	5.6	597	12,997	287,021
85+	2.3	1.9	1.8	238	4,254	95,203
Source: GRO(S) 2006 mid-year estimates

Population Density

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of persons per square kilometre	5.4	8.1	65.7
Area (square kilometres)	1,797	26,489	77,925
Source: GRO(S) 2006 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 Eilean in A’ Cheo’ is well above the Highland average, and Sleat has the some of the highest rates seen anywhere in Highland.

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of total population:
with a limiting long-term illness	21.3	18.4	20.3
without a limiting long-term illness	78.7	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.

A relatively high number of new homes were built in Eilean a' Cheò during the last five years. The Ward is a rural area which experiences a high rate of “windfall” planning applications for small developments and this, together with sites allocated in the revised Local Plan (currently being prepared), could ensure an adequate supply of housing land. However, around half of the sites cannot be started until Scottish Water improve their infrastructure which could lead to a general shortage of viable sites.

Number of households

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of households	4,033	89,528	2,192,246
Source: Census 2001

House Prices

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of private house sales in 2006	154	3,921	110,604
Average house price	£160,031	£147,217	£141,830
Median (midpoint) house price	£155,000	£130,000	£114,000
Source: Communities Scotland/Registers of Scotland 2006

House Completions

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of house completions between 2002-2007	466	8,547	n/a
Average number of completions per year	78	1,425	n/a
Source: Highland Council

Housing Land Audit

	Ward	Highland
*Number of new homes that potentially will be built between 2007-2011 which are:**
constrained by water supply and/or sewerage infrastructure	121	1,422
unconstrained by infrastructure	224	5,445
* 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	400	14,889	351,925
Source: Highland Council / Scottish Executive 2007

Housing Tenure

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of households that are:
owner occupied	69.3	65.7	62.6
rented from the Council/Scottish Homes	12.2	18.0	21.6
rented from housing association	5.3	3.6	5.6
privately rented	9.0	8.5	6.7
other	4.2	4.2	3.5
Source: Census 2001

Housing Occupancy

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of housing stock that is:
occupied	82.0	89.8	94.9
second/holiday homes	13.0	6.2	1.3
vacant	5.0	4.0	3.8
Percenatges are based on housing stock figures of 4,919 (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.

23% of workers in Eilean a' Cheò are self employed (Census 2001), the third highest rate in Highland. Perhaps surprisingly, the proportion jobs in tourism is close to the Highland average but the proportion in transport and communications is the second highest. A high proportion of jobs are in the public sector.

Number of People in Employment

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of people in employment *	4,500	104,800	2,370,600
* Rounded to nearest 100 people Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2006

Employment by Sector

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of people employed in:
Agriculture & fishing	2.5	3.6	1.5
Energy & water	0.7	0.7	1.6
Manufacturing	4.2	8.9	9.4
Construction	5.0	6.5	5.8
Distribution, hotels and restaurants	29.5	26.7	22.4
Transport and communications	5.2	4.5	5.1
Banking, finance & insurance, etc.	7.8	11.3	18.3
Public admin., education & health	37.1	32.8	30.4
Other services	4.7	4.9	5.4
Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2006

Economic Activity

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of 16-74 year olds *
Economically active	67.9	68.1	65.0
Full-time employees	32.8	38.9	40.3
Part-time employees	13.3	12.9	11.1
Self employed	15.7	10.2	6.6
Full-time student	1.5	1.8	3.0
Unemployed	4.6	4.3	4.0
* total 16-74 year olds	6,777	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	23.1	26.1	24.7
Group 2	16.9	15.3	15.7
Group 3	5.5	6.4	7.0
Group 4	24.1	19.6	19.5
No qualifications	30.4	32.6	33.2
* total 16-74 year olds	6,777	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.

Eilean a' Cheò is heavily dependent on seasonal employment. The unemployment rate is well above the Highland average during the winter months, and long term employment is above the Highland rate, having increased steadily over the last three years. The Incapacity Benefit claim rate is close to the Highland average while the Council tax Benefit claim rate is above average.

Latest unemployment rates ( June 2008 )

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Unemployment rate *	1.7	1.6	2.3
Long term unemployment rate **	0.4	0.4	0.6
* 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 June 2008 )

Figure 2: Long-term Unemployment Rates (October 2004 to June 2008 )

Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance ( November 2007 )

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance claimant rate *	7.7	7.9	9.6
* Percentage of resident working age population Source: Department for Work and Pensions data from NOMIS

Figure 3: Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance claimant rates (February 2004 to November 2007 )

Council Tax Benefit ( 2004 )

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of claimants	955	17,475	518,935
Council Tax Benefit take-up rate *	19.1	17.0	21.8
* Percentage of working age population Source: Department for Work and Pensions data from NOMIS

Further information on unemployment in Highland is available on the Unemployment webpage.

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 deprived and the proportion of people classed as employment deprived and income deprived are both around the Highland average. Average household incomes are below the Highland average.

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of income deprived people *	1,117	23,874	707,728
Percentage of income deprived people *	11.4	11.1	13.8
Number of employment deprived people *	623	13,552	409,907
Percentage of employment deprived people *	10.6	10.6	12.9
Number of candidate Data Zones for Regeneration Funding	0	17	976
Average annual income **	£28,803	£30,570	£31,406
Percentage of households earning less than £10k per year **	10.7	9.9	10.2
* Source: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2006 ** Source: CACI Paycheck 2006

You can also view a profile of Eilean a' Cheò Multi-Member Ward at the Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics website by clicking the link below: