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.

Badenoch and Strathspey has the second highest population but its large geographical size means that the population density is below the Highland average. The proportion of people in each of the under 50 age groups is well below the Highland average. The population grew by 3% between 2001 and 2005, with all parts of the Ward popular with housebuyers from the rest of Scotland. 420 overseas migrant workers moved into Badenoch and Strathspey between 2002 and 2006, three quarters from eastern Europe.

Total Population

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Total Population	12,443	217,440	5,144,200
Source: GRO(S) 2007 mid-year estimates

Age Structure

Age	Ward (%)	Highland (%)	Scotland (%)	Ward (No.)	Highland (No.)	Scotland (No.)
0-15	17.2	18.0	17.8	2,136	39,221	916,951
16-49	40.0	42.4	46.8	4,971	92,089	2,406,262
50-64	23.4	21.8	19.0	2,910	47,303	975,374
65-74	10.3	9.8	8.9	1,284	21,249	457,376
75-84	6.8	6.1	5.6	849	13,168	289,967
85+	2.4	2.0	1.9	293	4,410	98,270
Source: GRO(S) 2007 mid-year estimates

Population Density

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of persons per square kilometre	5.3	8.2	66.0
Area (square kilometres)	2,330	26,489	77,925
Source: GRO(S) 2007 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 is slightly below the Highland average.

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of total population:
with a limiting long-term illness	17.0	18.4	20.3
without a limiting long-term illness	83.0	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 Ward is a rural area which has historically received a large number of “windfall” planning applications for small developments. The number of houses built during the last five years was around twice the Highland average, with a large number in Aviemore towards the end of the period. The land allocated for housing in the Local Plan would allow this rate to be exceeded over the next four years, with only local improvements to Scottish Water infrastructure required. However, the Cairngorm National Park Authority is now the Statutory Planning Authority and their policies are under active development, which could change this position.

Number of households

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of households	5,054	89,528	2,192,246
Source: Census 2001

House Prices

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of private house sales in 2007	332	4,930	133,609
Average house price	£196,364	£168,090	£164,165
Median (midpoint) house price	£165,500	£150,500	£136,800
Source: Communities Scotland/Registers of Scotland 2007

House Completions

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of house completions between 2002-2007	753	8,547	n/a
Average number of completions per year	126	1,425	n/a
Source: Highland Council

Housing Land Audit

	Ward	Highland
*Number of new homes that potentially will be built between 2008-2011 :**	1,124	17,575
* 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	527	13,803	329,524
Source: Highland Council / Scottish Executive 2008

Housing Tenure

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of households that are:
owner occupied	65.7	65.7	62.6
rented from the Council/Scottish Homes	14.1	18.0	21.6
rented from housing association	2.6	3.6	5.6
privately rented	12.1	8.5	6.7
other	5.5	4.2	3.5
Source: Census 2001

Housing Occupancy

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of housing stock that is:
occupied	80.0	89.8	94.9
second/holiday homes	16.5	6.2	1.3
vacant	3.5	4.0	3.8
Percenatges are based on housing stock figures of 6,316 (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.

20% of workers in Badenoch and Strathspey are self-employed, well above the Highland average, and the proportion of part time jobs is also well above average. The Ward has the highest proportion of jobs in tourism and also the highest proportion of “other” jobs (ie they fall outside the normal employment categories).

Number of People in Employment

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of people in employment *	6,000	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	2.2	3.6	1.5
Energy & water	0.1	0.7	1.6
Manufacturing	5.4	8.9	9.4
Construction	4.4	6.5	5.8
Distribution, hotels and restaurants	36.1	26.7	22.4
Transport and communications	2.1	4.5	5.1
Banking, finance & insurance, etc.	10.7	11.3	18.3
Public admin., education & health	21.4	32.8	30.4
Other services	11.9	4.9	5.4
Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2006

Economic Activity

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of 16-74 year olds *
Economically active	70.8	68.1	65.0
Full-time employees	38.4	38.9	40.3
Part-time employees	12.9	12.9	11.1
Self employed	14.4	10.2	6.6
Full-time student	1.6	1.8	3.0
Unemployed	3.4	4.3	4.0
* total 16-74 year olds	8,602	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	25.4	26.1	24.7
Group 2	15.1	15.3	15.7
Group 3	6.1	6.4	7.0
Group 4	22.0	19.6	19.5
No qualifications	31.4	32.6	33.2
* total 16-74 year olds	8,602	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.

Despite the high proportion of jobs in tourism, unemployment in the Ward is not particularly seasonal. The unemployment rate, long term unemployment rate, Incapacity Benefit claim rate and Housing Benefit claim rate are all below the Highland average.

Latest unemployment rates ( October 2008 )

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Unemployment rate *	1.4	1.8	2.6
Long term unemployment rate **	0.2	0.3	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 October 2008 )

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

Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance ( May 2008 )

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance claimant rate *	5.0	7.5	9.2
* 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 May 2008 )

Council Tax Benefit ( 2004 )

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of claimants	875	17,475	518,935
Council Tax Benefit take-up rate *	13.5	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 proportions of people classed as income deprived and employment deprived are both below the Highland average. Average household incomes slightly above the Highland average.

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of income deprived people *	1,001	23,874	707,728
Percentage of income deprived people *	8.2	11.1	13.8
Number of employment deprived people *	496	13,552	409,907
Percentage of employment deprived people *	6.9	10.6	12.9
Number of candidate Data Zones for Regeneration Funding	0	17	976
Average annual income **	£30,108	£30,510	£32,118
Percentage of households earning less than £10k per year **	9.5	9.9	9.6
* Source: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2006 ** Source: CACI Paycheck 2007

You can also view a profile of Badenoch and Strathspey Multi-Member Ward at the Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics website by clicking the link below: