Issues and SWOT

strength

Build on the completed Ryde restoration

The Eastern Gardens arch is back on the seafront.

Partnership repairs can preserve useful local landmarks.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £951 a month (August 2026) in Isle of Wight council area. This is £508 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.4% in Lake South to 45.1% in Ryde North West — a gap of 34.7 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

Protect museum collections through routine maintenance

Dinosaur Isle needed roof and building-system repairs.

Visitor attractions need ongoing care as well as reopening investment.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6.7% of people reported bad or very bad health in Isle of Wight council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.6% in Newport West to 9.1% in Lake South — a gap of 4.4 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

Turn grants into lasting local investment

The expanded fund accepts eligible capital projects across the Island.

Businesses must bring private investment as well as a viable proposal.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

29.2% of people in Isle of Wight council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.1% in Ryde South East to 46% in Bembridge — a gap of 31.9 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

27.4% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Isle of Wight council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.4% in Cowes North to 26.2% in Lake South — a gap of 13.8 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 Isle of Wight 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

3 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 12% in Cowes West & Gurnard to 28.3% in Ryde South East — a gap of 16.3 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

Connect single people without a home to suitable support

The Island has a coordinated single-homeless referral pathway.

Advice, accommodation and support need to work together.

Evidence