Issues and SWOT

strength

Connect temporary accommodation to lasting support

Leonard Stocks combines a place to stay with individual support.

A successful move needs more than a room.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £920 a month (August 2026) in Torbay council area. This is £539 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.6% in Churston with Galmpton to 46.9% in Roundham with Hyde — a gap of 36.3 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Give the Pavilion a workable future

The building remains a restoration and future-use project.

Residents need a realistic route to use it again.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

7.3% of people reported bad or very bad health in Torbay council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.9% in Cockington with Chelston to 10.7% in Roundham with Hyde — a gap of 5.8 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Match Crossways housing to support needs

Extra-care homes and a day centre are proposed on the former shopping site.

Housing and care services need to open together.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

26.7% of people in Torbay council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 16.8% in King's Ash to 42.2% in Wellswood — a gap of 25.5 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

25.3% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Torbay council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 16.1% in Churston with Galmpton to 25.9% in Roundham with Hyde — a gap of 9.8 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Torbay council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

4 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 14% in Churston with Galmpton to 31% in Roundham with Hyde — a gap of 17 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Keep the waterfront usable during coastal works

Work continues in phases with changing parking and pedestrian access.

Protection from flooding must be delivered alongside safe everyday access.

Evidence