Ward Statistics


| Population | Households & Housing Stock | Employment & Economic Activity |
| Unemployment & Benefits | Income & Deprivation |


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.

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 0.9% between 2005 and 2010 with inward migrants moving to the extreme east and west of the Ward from outside Highland.

Total Population

  Ward Highland Scotland
Total Population 11,404 222,370 5,254,800
Source: NRS 2011 mid-year estimates

Age Structure

Age Ward (%) Highland (%) Scotland (%) Ward (No.) Highland (No.) Scotland (No.)
0-15 17.9 17.5 17.4 2,040 38,942 913,317
16-44 33.5 32.9 38.3 3,820 73,187 2,012,479
45-64 30.3 30.4 27.3 3,452 67,684 1,436,617
65-74 10.4 10.5 9.1 1,185 23,451 479,313
75-84 5.8 6.3 5.8 663 13,919 302,844
85+ 2.1 2.3 2.1 244 5,187 110,230
Source: NRS 2011 mid-year estimates

Population Density

  Ward Highland Scotland
Number of persons per square kilometre 4.4 8.4 67.4
Area (square kilometres) 2,591 26,489 77,925
Source: NRS 2011 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.

Percentage of total population: Ward Highland Scotland
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

| Population | Households & Housing Stock | Employment & Economic Activity |
| Unemployment & Benefits | Income & Deprivation |


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. A new Local Plan was adopted in 2010 and it is anticipated that continued windfall plus newly allocated sites will give an adequate supply of housing, although Scottish Water infrastructure improvements will be needed in some places before development can take place.

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 2011 87 2,262 48,847
Average house price £184,595 £172,254 £186,649
Median (midpoint) house price £138,000 £152,000 £150,000
Source: Communities Scotland/Registers of Scotland 2011

House Completions

  Ward Highland Scotland
Number of house completions between 2006-2010 221 7,329 n/a
Average number of completions per year 44 1,466 n/a
Source: Highland Council

Housing Land Audit

  Ward Highland
Number of new homes* that potentially will be built between 2010-2014 : 499 11,312
* 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 772 13,581 323,138
Source: Highland Council / Scottish Executive April 2011

Housing Tenure

Percentage of households that are: Ward Highland Scotland
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

Percentage of housing stock that is: Ward Highland Scotland
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

| Population | Households & Housing Stock | Employment & Economic Activity |
| Unemployment & Benefits | Income & Deprivation |


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.

12.1% of all working age people 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 finance and an above average proportion in tourism.

Number of People in Employment

  Ward Highland Scotland
Number of people in employment * 6,700 106,100 2,456,000
* Rounded to nearest 100 people
Source: Business Register and Employment Survey 2011

Employment by Sector

Percentage of people employed in: Ward Highland Scotland
Agriculture, forestry & fishing 2.4 1.6 2.6
Mining, quarrying & utilities 1.1 2.1 2.6
Manufacturing 4.7 6.5 7.5
Construction 6.1 6.8 5.7
Motor trades 1.3 2.2 1.7
Wholesale. 1.5 2.6 2.9
Retail 12.8 11.2 10.2
Transport & storage (inc postal) 4.3 5.1 4.1
Accommodation & food services 22.1 11.6 7.1
Information & communication 0.9 2.0 2.4
Financial & insurance 0.8 1.1 3.5
Property 2.3 1.7 1.4
Professional, scientific & technical 2.4 4.7 6.3
Business administration & support services 2.8 5.4 7.4
Public administration & defence 8.4 5.6 6.0
Education 6.6 8.2 7.8
Health 14.2 17.1 15.8
Arts, entertainment, recreation & other services 5.5 4.5 4.4
Source: Business Register and Employment Survey 2011

Economic Activity

Percentage of 16-74 year olds* who are: Ward Highland Scotland
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

Percentage of 16-74 year olds* whose highest qualification is: Ward Highland Scotland
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

| Population | Households & Housing Stock | Employment & Economic Activity |
| Unemployment & Benefits | Income & Deprivation |


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 and Employment and Support Allowance claim rates are slightly above the Highland average while the Long Term Unemployment rate is similar to that for Highland. The Incapacity Benefit claim rate is just below that for Highland.

Latest unemployment rates ( April 2013 )

  Ward Highland Scotland
Unemployment rate * 2.9 2.7 4.2
Long term unemployment rate ** 1.1 1.1 1.9
Youth unemployment rate *** 3.8 5.0 7.2
Youth long term unemployment rate **** 1.3 1.7 2.7
* 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
*** Percentage of resident population aged 18 to 24 claiming Job Seekers Allowance
**** Percentage of resident population aged 18 to 24 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 April 2013 )
Graph showing unemployment rates

 

Figure 2: Long-term Unemployment Rates (October 2004 to April 2013 )
Graph showing long-term unemployment rates

 

Figure 3: Youth Unemployment Rates (October 2004 to April 2013 )
Graph showing youth unemployment rates

 

Figure 4: Youth Long Term Unemployment Rates (October 2004 to April 2013 )
Graph showing youth long term unemployment rates

Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance / Employment and Support Allowance ( November 2012 )

  Ward Highland Scotland
Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance claimant rate * 2.0 2.5 3.3
Employment and Support Allowance Claimant Rate * 4.7 4.1 4.7
* Percentage of resident working age population
Source: Department for Work and Pensions data from NOMIS

 

Figure 3: Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance / Employment and Support Allowance claimant rates (February 2001 to November 2012 )
Graph showing Incapacity / Severe Disability Allowance / Employment and Support Allowance claimant rates

| Population | Households & Housing Stock | Employment & Economic Activity |
| Unemployment & Benefits | Income & Deprivation |


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 the Scottish Government's Centre for Housing Market Analysis to help with housing analysis.

No datazones within the Ward are identified as severely deprived. The Fort William Plantation datazone, classed as deprived in the 2006 Index, is no longer regarded as deprived due to mprovements across most domains although levels of education, sklills and training remain low. The percentage of people classed as income deprived is slightly above the Highland average but the percentage classed as employment deprived is similar to the average. Average household incomes are well below the Highland average.

  Ward Highland Scotland
Number of income deprived people * 1,250 23,495 700,475
Percentage of income deprived people * 11.0 10.6 13.4
Number of employment deprived people * 695 13,610 423,245
Percentage of employment deprived people * 10.0 10.1 12.8
Number of candidate Data Zones for Regeneration Funding 0 17 976
Average annual income ** £30,747 £33,039 £34,569
Percentage of households earning less than £10k per year ** 18.1 16.3 16.5
* Source: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2009updated
** Source: CACI Paycheck 2011

| Population | Households & Housing Stock | Employment & Economic Activity |
| Unemployment & Benefits | Income & Deprivation |