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.

Fort William and Ardnamurchan is our third largest Ward and has one of the lowest population densities. The population profile is similar to the Highland average and the total population grew by 1% between 2001 and 2005 with inward migrants moving to the extreme east and west of the Ward from outside Highland. 500 overseas migrant workers moved Caol and Fort William between 2002 and 2006, 300 from eastern Europe.

Total Population

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Total Population	11,356	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	18.9	18.5	18.2	2,069	39,392	921,833
16-49	42.8	42.6	46.9	4,899	91,485	2,397,345
50-64	21.4	21.3	18.5	2,464	46,396	959,754
65-74	9.5	9.7	9.0	1,062	20,786	455,744
75-84	5.6	6.0	5.6	629	12,997	287,021
85+	1.9	1.9	1.8	233	4,254	95,203
Source: GRO(S) 2006 mid-year estimates

Population Density

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of persons per square kilometre	4.4	8.1	65.7
Area (square kilometres)	2,591	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 is slightly above the Highland average.

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of total population:
with a limiting long-term illness	18.7	18.4	20.3
without a limiting long-term illness	81.3	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 houses built during the last five years was below the Highland average. We currently have a relatively low number of Sites allocated in the Local Plan, with a quarter requiring improvements to Scottish Water infrastructure before they can be started. However, a new Plan is being prepared and we hope that local issues such as ownership and ground conditions can be overcome leading to an adequate future supply of land.

Number of households

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of households	4,702	89,528	2,192,246
Source: Census 2001

House Prices

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of private house sales in 2006	165	3,921	110,604
Average house price	£145,882	£147,217	£141,830
Median (midpoint) house price	£115,000	£130,000	£114,000
Source: Communities Scotland/Registers of Scotland 2006

House Completions

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of house completions between 2002-2007	244	8,547	n/a
Average number of completions per year	41	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	82	1,422
unconstrained by infrastructure	325	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	814	14,889	351,925
Source: Highland Council / Scottish Executive 2007

Housing Tenure

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of households that are:
owner occupied	58.4	65.7	62.6
rented from the Council/Scottish Homes	23.5	18.0	21.6
rented from housing association	4.3	3.6	5.6
privately rented	9.0	8.5	6.7
other	4.9	4.2	3.5
Source: Census 2001

Housing Occupancy

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of housing stock that is:
occupied	84.3	89.8	94.9
second/holiday homes	11.6	6.2	1.3
vacant	4.0	4.0	3.8
Percenatges are based on housing stock figures of 5,574 (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.

18% of all workers in Fort William and Ardnamurchan are self employed, above the Highland average. The proportion of jobs which are seasonal and part time are both above the Highland average. The Ward has a relatively low proportion of jobs in banking & finance, and an above average proportion in tourism.

Number of People in Employment

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of people in employment *	7,100	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	0.9	0.7	1.6
Manufacturing	4.1	8.9	9.4
Construction	4.7	6.5	5.8
Distribution, hotels and restaurants	33.8	26.7	22.4
Transport and communications	2.9	4.5	5.1
Banking, finance & insurance, etc.	8.1	11.3	18.3
Public admin., education & health	31.2	32.8	30.4
Other services	6.7	4.9	5.4
Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2006

Economic Activity

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Percentage of 16-74 year olds *
Economically active	69.0	68.1	65.0
Full-time employees	38.1	38.9	40.3
Part-time employees	13.7	12.9	11.1
Self employed	12.1	10.2	6.6
Full-time student	1.5	1.8	3.0
Unemployed	3.6	4.3	4.0
* total 16-74 year olds	7,758	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	25.8	26.1	24.7
Group 2	15.9	15.3	15.7
Group 3	4.9	6.4	7.0
Group 4	18.6	19.6	19.5
No qualifications	34.8	32.6	33.2
* total 16-74 year olds	7,758	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.

Unemployment fluctuates seasonally around the Highland average (with some parts of the Ward showing the highest seasonal fluctuations in Highland) but the long term unemployment rate is below the Highland average. The Incapacity Benefit claim rate is above average but showing a slight declining trend, and the Council Tax Benefit claim rate is also slightly above average.

Latest unemployment rates ( June 2008 )

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Unemployment rate *	1.3	1.6	2.3
Long term unemployment rate **	0.0	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 *	7.5	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	1,035	17,475	518,935
Council Tax Benefit take-up rate *	17.9	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.

Fort William and Ardnamurchan has one datazone identified as severely deprived, Fort William Plantation. The proportions of people classed as income deprived is above the Highland average and the proportion classed as employment deprived is slightly above. Average household incomes are well below the Highland average.

	Ward	Highland	Scotland
Number of income deprived people *	1,404	23,874	707,728
Percentage of income deprived people *	12.4	11.1	13.8
Number of employment deprived people *	727	13,552	409,907
Percentage of employment deprived people *	10.7	10.6	12.9
Number of candidate Data Zones for Regeneration Funding	1	17	976
Average annual income **	£28,475	£30,570	£31,406
Percentage of households earning less than £10k per year **	11.4	9.9	10.2
* Source: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2006 ** Source: CACI Paycheck 2006

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