Equality and Diversity Strategy 2021 - 2025

Contents

• Foreword
• Our Equality Duties
• Our Objectives 2020-2024
• Our Workforce
• Appendix - Bassetlaw Demographic Profile

Foreword

As a Council, we have a duty to produce a Single Equality Scheme and this Strategy forms our next Scheme for 2021-2025, guiding our approach to increasing opportunities across the District and improving access to Council services.

Bassetlaw District Council’s Equality & Diversity Strategy 2021-2025 builds on the foundations of our previous strategy to ensure that equality is further embedded into our policies, procedures and every-day working, and that we embrace diversity and recognise that everyone has their own unique needs, characteristics, skills, and abilities.

The year 2020 was an exceptionally challenging year for all of us. The Covid-19 pandemic meant that the Council needed to provide extra support to the most vulnerable in society and find new ways to deliver its services. The next four years will be a critical period for the Council and its partners in ensuring Bassetlaw’s economy can bounce back from the impacts of Covid-19 and Brexit, and that residents and businesses can continue to be supported effectively.

The Strategy is the next step in a journey to better understand our communities and anticipate the needs of residents and service users. The Strategy identifies five key objectives for the next four years, and the actions we will take to deliver each of these. The objectives have been identified through our ongoing conversations with residents, and analysing the latest data both internally and externally.  Progress will be monitored every year through our Annual Equality Report.

Neil Taylor, Chief Executive

Councillor Susan Shaw, Cabinet Member for Health and Community Well-being

Our Equality Duties

The Equality Act 2010 introduced new duties on public bodies including local authorities. These consist of general and specific duties and replace former duties for race, gender and disability (a Single Equality Scheme).

The general duties require public bodies to have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other prohibited conduct;
• advance equality of opportunity between people who share protected characteristics and people who do not share it; and
• foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

Having “due regard” will require the Council to consciously think about the three general duties as part of its decision-making processes. In particular, how equality issues influence the way in which the Council acts as an employer; how it develops, evaluates and reviews policy; how it designs, delivers and evaluates services; and how it commissions and procures services from others.

For example, when delivering our services we need to anticipate the needs of disabled people and make reasonable adjustments to ensure the service is fully accessible whilst preventing disadvantage.

Under the specific duties, the Council is required to complete the following actions:

1. Publish information annually which demonstrates how it complies with its general equality duties in relation to the nine protected characteristics of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief and sexual orientation.
2. Adopt and publish measurable equality objectives and review them every four years.

The Cabinet endorsed an original set of equality objectives in 2012, as determined by the Act, and received an Annual Equality Report, assessing progress each year.

We have three key roles in promoting equality and diversity:

1. As a community leader - We work with our partners to tackle inequality
2. As a service provider - Making sure our services are tailored to the needs of the individuals. Making sure staff are aware and responsive to the needs of different sections of our community.
3. As an employer - We welcome diversity in the workforce and have policies in place to make sure staff can balance their work and home commitments.

Our Objectives 2020-2024

We are required to adopt and publish equality objectives every four years.  Below are our revised equality objectives covering the period 2020-2024. These are based on our roles and responsibilities, the needs of the community as well as being informed by the most up-to-date data about Bassetlaw. The objectives support the Council Plan 2019-23: Investing in Bassetlaw. As shown below, we have set out a series of actions to help us deliver each objective.

Objective 1: Engage and communicate in appropriate and accessible ways

We know that good quality information leads to well-informed decisions, which in turn impact on the suitability and quality of services.

Actions we will take to deliver this objective:

• Provide advice and information in a way that is accessible and meets individual needs.
• Engagement and consultation is accessible to enable people to participate in the decision making process.
• Engage with local residents through “Bassetlaw Conversations” at community events, local town improvement plans, the work of the Worksop Town Commission and the Bassetlaw Tenants’ Panel.
• Review the information on our website so that it meets the Public Sector Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Objective 2: Ensure we deliver inclusive and responsive services

Understand and remove the barriers people face when accessing services. The Council acknowledges the challenges of rural isolation, access to services and limited public transport.

Actions we will take to deliver this objective:

• Support rural communities through our outreach network, examine further digital service improvements and support the work of local parish councils.
• Equality and Human Rights issues are considered and addressed when delivering services to customers and clients. This includes ensuring we undertake assessments of the potential impact of new and revised policies and proposed changes to service delivery.
• Be proactive in how we manage our neighbourhoods and support our tenants through community engagement, community safety initiatives, regulation and enforcement.
• The Council will review its housing allocations policy to enable as many people as possible can live independently in their homes through the use of Better Care Funding to deliver disabled facilities adaptations and other initiatives.
• Deliver further value for money for our tenants by carrying out a review of the condition of the housing stock, developing a new 30 year HRA Business Plan, implementing fairer charging and the rent standard for Social Housing providers.

Objective 3: Foster good relations with and within the community

Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths. As a Council, we want to lead the district in celebrating and promoting our diversity and the benefits and opportunities it brings. We will continue to promote inclusion, fairness and accessibility, whilst raising the profile of Bassetlaw as a great place to live, study and visit.

Actions we will take to deliver this objective:

• The Council in its role as a local leader will set a positive example in relation to promoting tolerance and equality issues publicly and proactively. We will continue to mark and promote awareness of Holocaust Memorial Day, LGBT History Month, Commonwealth Day, IDAHOBIT Day and Black History Month.
• Bassetlaw District Council and its partners will continue to develop our understanding of the quality of relations between different communities and collectively monitor relations. (This includes actively promoting the importance of reporting all hate incidents related to age, disability, gender identity, race, religion / belief or sexual orientation).
• Continue to support District and Countywide work to raise awareness of hate crime and how it can be reported. We will ensure these are monitored and analysed regularly, and appropriate action is taken to address the issues that have been identified.
• To work with the Community and Voluntary sector, Faith Groups and others to maintain and sustain the groundswell in volunteering and recognition that we become a more inclusive society by working to support the most vulnerable in our communities.
• We will continue to work with others to protect the most vulnerable in society. We will provide targeted intervention to those most in need, including rough sleepers and those with other vulnerabilities such as drug misuse. We will look to tackle the root causes by focussing on support and prevention.
• We will continue our work to tackle poverty, including through the North Notts Support Partnership, Financial Inclusion Forum and other groups. As a Living Wage employer we will engage with others to promote its benefits to other employers and our wider principles as a Co-operative Council.

Objective 4: Break the cycle of inequality and improve life chances

We know that some groups experience poorer life chances than others and that poverty can be a significant factor in determining life chances and wellbeing. At a local and national level there are also areas of persistent inequality which remain a considerable challenge. We will continue to focus on those in greatest need to ensure that people can access services and support that works for them.

Actions we will take to deliver this objective:

• Improve the quality and performance of Bassetlaw’s housing stock, by regularly inspecting them to ensure that they are maintained to the highest possible standards and reduce tenant’s energy bills.
• Review the Council’s housing estates and assets, including identifying any areas of deprivation and develop a plan to improve the physical appearance and image of those areas.
• Work collaboratively with Partners to reduce health inequalities across the district, to improve general levels of health and wellbeing by encouraging healthy and active lifestyles, prioritising early preventative interventions.
• Support local drug treatment engagement programmes to reduce dependency and turn peoples’ lives around.
• Increase the year on year the number of homelessness preventions and a year on year decrease in the number of rough sleepers, over the term of the plan.
• Work with the Department of Work and Pensions, (DWP), The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), the County Council and local food banks to support local people in need, we already provide a significant money advice service supporting 1,100 residents in the last year.
• Increase year on year the SAP Rating in our stock (currently 70.5) and in the private sector an increase in take up of energy grants e.g. warm homes on prescription again over the term of the plan to combat local fuel poverty.
• Increase the supply and quality of new homes. We will seek to deliver our new housing requirement of circa 478 new homes per annum, 15% will be new affordable homes, and will maximise all available S106 opportunities for new affordable housing.
• Raise the skills level and employability of people within the district through a Skills Board and encouraging local businesses to take on more apprenticeships.
• The Council will require developers to deliver a local labour agreement on future major developments to create training and employment opportunities during the term of the development

Objective 5: Develop and support a diverse workforce

We will continue to promote inclusion, fairness and accessibility in our work place. A representative workforce will help us deliver services that are accessible, appropriate and that help reduce inequalities.

Actions we will take to deliver this objective:

• Regularly monitor, analyse and publish employment data in accordance with our statutory duties. We publish employee profile data within our annual Equalities report.
• Encourage employees to declare their protected characteristics.
• Assess the effects of all employment procedures and take action to mitigate any adverse impact identified and to promote equality of opportunity.
• Recruit, develop and retain local talent where the Council can in a competitive labour market.
• Develop our staff via our policies and training commitments. Promote apprenticeship opportunities to existing staff and externally.
• Introduce a middle manager development programme to ensure the right skill sets are in place to motivate staff and ensure effective performance management.
• Hold regular development conversations with staff, to help ensure all staff have equal opportunities for learning, training and professional development.
• Champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace in the development of HR policies and procedures.

Our Workforce

The Council carries out regular monitoring of its employees to ensure that there is a comprehensive understanding of the diversity of the workforce, whether it is representative of the local area, and to identify gaps in representation/workforce pressures i.e. an ageing workforce.

Employee Gender Breakdown

 

Employees by Gender & Hours at 31 March each year

As at 31 March 2020, the Council employs a total of 547 staff over four service areas: Housing, Regeneration, Neighbourhoods and Corporate Services. The below chart shows the breakdown of male and female staff, full time and part time.

Number of staff joining and leaving the Council

* Starters in 2018/19 includes 150 staff transferred under TUPE

Age Profile of Employees at 31 March each year

% of Staff in age range

 

As the organisation continues to adapt as a result of changes to local government finance and governance, and changing demand on services through the digital agenda, succession planning is essential. This will be particularly important in statutory services where the staff profile includes older, long-serving employees in key roles.

Employees Declaring Themselves as Disabled

The number of employees declaring themselves as disabled remains relatively static. Figures are calculated as a percentage of those employees who have declared whether or not they are disabled.

As at	Male	Female	All
31.3.20	4.95%	4.01%	8.96%
31.3.19	4.13%	4.13%	8.25%
31.3.18	4.84%	3.76%	8.60%
31.3.17	4.50%	3.70%	8.20%
31.3.16	5.77%	3.85%	9.62%
31.3.15	4.17%	3.13%	7.29%
31.3.14	4.59%	3.57%	8.16%
31.3.13	4.80%	3.54%	8.33%
31.3.12	4.70%	4.02%	8.72%

Staff in Ethnic Minority Groups

The figures clearly show a limited number of employees from ethnic groups, with more females than males declaring this.

As at	Male	Female	All
31.3.20	0.38%	0.57%	0.95%
31.3.19	0.38%	0.95%	1.33%
31.3.18	0.25%	1.02%	1.27%
31.3.17	0.26%	1.05%	1.31%
31.3.16	0.00%	1.01%	1.01%
31.3.15	0.26%	0.78%	1.04%
31.3.14	0.25%	0.51%	0.76%
31.3.13	0.25%	0.75%	1.00%
31.3.12	0.47%	0.94%	1.41%

Staff are considered to be from an ethnic minority group if they define themselves as being from census classification b, c, d or e, that is:

b. (i) White and Black Caribbean(ii) White and Black African(iii) White and Asian(iv) Any other mixed background
c. Asian or Asian British(i) Indian(ii) Pakistani(iii) Bangladeshi(iv) Any other Asian background
d. Black or Black British(i) Caribbean(ii) African(iii) Any other Black background
e. Chinese or Other ethnic group(i) Chinese(ii) Other

---

Bassetlaw Demographic Profile

Bassetlaw is the most northerly District Council in Nottinghamshire and is the second largest, measuring 63,688 hectares. The District contrasts a mixture of town centres, urban residential areas, growing and changing settlements and rural villages. In 2018, 67% of the population were living in the three largest towns of Worksop, Retford and Harworth and Bircotes. 15% of the population lived in the Large Rural Settlements, which are Blyth, Carlton in Lindrick, Langold, Misterton and Tuxford.  A further 18% live in the District’s numerous Small Rural Settlements and in the rural area. Population density is low at two persons per hectare.

Health Services

In 2013 the Primary Care Trust, NHS Bassetlaw, was replaced by the NHS Bassetlaw Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). NHS Bassetlaw CCG represents nine GP practices and approx. 118,000 patients.  The CCG is based in Retford. Nottinghamshire County Council is the lead authority in relation to Public Health and works in partnership with the public, private and voluntary sector to deliver services to meet local needs as set out by the Nottinghamshire Health & Wellbeing Board.

Geography

Although local and regional government boundaries place Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands, its geographical proximity to Yorkshire and the Humber impacts the District economically, socially and culturally. Economically, Bassetlaw sits between a number of larger dominant centres – Sheffield, Rotherham, and Doncaster to the north-west, Nottingham to the south, Chesterfield to the west, and Lincoln to the east. The evidence suggests that different parts of Bassetlaw district are influenced by all of these centres, but none of them exert a dominant influence over the district as a whole.

Almost 60% of Bassetlaw’s population lives in the main town of Worksop and Retford. Outside these towns there are over 60 rural communities with a population of less than 1,000. Poor public transport links to many of the outlying areas and this presents challenges for service delivery.

Bassetlaw is a full member of D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which includes all Councils in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire as members, including Derby City Council and Nottingham City Council. The Council also remains a non-constituent member of the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, which consists of full constituent members Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, and Barnsley, and non-constituent members Bassetlaw, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield and Derbyshire Dales Councils. 

Partnerships

Bassetlaw District Council works closely with the Community and Voluntary Service and Integrated Care Partnership, as well as a number of local groups to understand and plan for local needs. These partnerships have been key in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and will remain critical in delivering the health and wellbeing agenda over the life of this strategy.

Age

In comparison to Nottinghamshire we have a higher ratio of aged 50 and over. 44% of Bassetlaw’s population is over 50. 22% of the population is under 20 years of age and 34% is between 20 and 50 years of age. 22% are above the age of 64.

Projections show increases in the number of children and younger adults between the age 10-19, as well as increases in the numbers of the older age groups (75+) in Bassetlaw by 2024.  Life expectancy as a whole is increasing across the District but remains lower than that for England; male life expectancy is 78.7 compared to the national average of 79.6 (-0.9) and female life expectancy is 81.9 compared to the national average of 83.1 (-1.2).

Population Age Profile – Comparison ¹

¹ Mid-2019 population estimate, ONS

As shown in the below table, the number of over 75s are predicted to increase in the District over the life of this strategy, indicating the need to tailor services to the needs of older people.

Age groups predicted to increase / decrease by 2025 ²

Children

The 2011 Census showed that the number of children of pre-school age (0-4) across the county has increased by nearly 10% since the 2001 Census; this is in contrast to Bassetlaw which hasn’t experienced any increase. Conversely the number of school age children 5-19 has decreased by 3.6% in the county, and 2.94% in Bassetlaw. Children 0 – 14 represent 16.9% of the total Nottinghamshire population, lower than the regional and national average. The only age group in which the population of children increased in Bassetlaw is the 10 – 19 year age group which increased by 1% in males and 3% in females.

Age profile 0-19¹

¹ Mid-2019 population estimate, ONS

² SNPP 2018 population projections

The most recent child poverty statistics show large disparities around the district; for example, Worksop South East has the highest level of child poverty after housing costs at 39.1% and Sturton has the lowest at 22.1%.

Older People

Bassetlaw has a higher proportion of people over 65 than Nottinghamshire. Both Bassetlaw and Nottinghamshire have ageing populations as shown in the table below. This may be particularly problematic in the future as access to some services in the rural part of the District are already challenging without any extra demands.

% Over 65s

East Retford East has the highest number of people over 65 followed by Worksop North East and East Retford North.

Ward Breakdown (65 and over)

 

Older people (65 and over) (2018)

The most recent figures sourced from LG Inform Plus show that East Retford East has the largest number of older people in Bassetlaw whereas Langold has the smallest number of older people.

Levels of Dementia in people over 64 are higher in Bassetlaw than the East midlands averages.

Number of recorded cases of dementia for people aged 65+ (from Mar 2020 to Aug 2020) for Bassetlaw

Ethnic Groups

The following ethnic groups were identified within the Bassetlaw population following the 2011 Census. Ethnic group classifies people according to their own perceived ethnic group and cultural background. Data is shown as a percentage of the population. (Numbers are shown in brackets). 94.5 % of Bassetlaw’s population is White British, contrasting with 79.8% in England.

Census 2011 Ethnic Group

Source: ONS, Census 2011

In 2011, the latest period for which data is currently available, Bassetlaw had a black and minority ethnic population of 2,971 people. This was 2.6% of the total population, and compares with 14.6% for England, and 10.7% for the East Midlands region. The population is 94.5% White British which is higher than the county average of 92.6%. The Gypsy Traveller population at 0.1% is the same as the county average; however, there is demand for sites.

Overall 5.5% of residents in Bassetlaw describe themselves as from a non-white UK population. This compares with a non-white UK population of 14.7% for the East Midlands region, and 20.3% for England. This is the population who do not describe themselves as being white English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British. In Bassetlaw the non-white UK population includes 6,200 people.
0.8% of the population in Bassetlaw report that they cannot speak English well or at all. This is 887 people. This compares with 1.7% for England, and 1.6% for the East Midlands region.

Worksop South East has the largest black and minority ethnic (BME) population in Bassetlaw totalling 346 people, and Worksop South East has the largest population describing themselves as non-white UK totalling 808 people. Worksop South East has the largest number of people who cannot speak English well or at all, totalling 170 people.

93.1% of the Bassetlaw population report being born in England (95.7% UK & Ireland as a whole) with 97.2% of people over the age of 16 identifying English as the main language. 23.3% of the population do not have a passport which is higher than the county average. 2.5% of the population report being born in other EU countries. 2.0% have a European passport (not a UK or ROI passport).

1.7% of the Bassetlaw population live in a household where no one has English as a first language. Interpretation is not currently an issue for Council services, and requests for translation of materials remains very low, therefore we do not translate documents as a matter of course, but will consider individual requests on the basis of need.

The DWP Households Below Average Income Survey (2018/19) showed that significant income inequality exists between ethnic groups in the UK. People from Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups are around twice as likely to be in the bottom fifth of incomes than average, and have the lowest median household incomes, closely followed by people from a Black ethnic group.

Marital and Civil Partnership

Within the Bassetlaw district 50.8% (Census 2011) of the population are reported as being married which is comparable to Nottinghamshire. 0.2% are registered as same-sex civil partnership, again comparable to the wider county. The proportion divorced/dissolved civil partnership is 10% which while slightly higher is again comparable and 7.9% report themselves as widowed, again marginally higher. This information relates to people aged 16 and over.

Religion

The 2011 Census shows that 70.8% of the Bassetlaw District report being Christian which is nearly 10% higher than the county wide data. 20.9% report having no religion which is nearly 10% lower than the county average.

There are small groups of other religions; with Muslims the largest group being reported as 0.6% of the population which is lower than the county average.

Population Change

The total population change in Bassetlaw for the year 2019 was 620 people. This included natural change (births - deaths) of -100 people, net internal migration (people into/away from the area within the UK) of 588, net international migration (people immigrating/emigration into/out of the UK) of 157 and other migration factors of -25.

Natural change was greater than in previous years (up to -100 people from -113 people in 2018) caused largely by a decrease in the number of deaths (1,213), combined with the continuing decrease in the number of births (down 1,113).

A decrease in immigration (down 403) and a decrease in emigration (down 246) have both contributed to the increase in net international migration compared to that seen in the year to mid-2018.

Population change include changes in population due to internal and international civilian migration and changes in the number of armed forces (both non-UK and UK) and their dependants resident in the UK.

Population change (2019)

The following table from the mid-2019 population estimates (ONS) shows the effect of Internal and International Migration on the District’s 2019 population.

Internal and International Migration

The table over the page shows National Insurance Number (NINO) registrations for the last five years across a number of nationalities. There has been a slight increase in registrations from Romania and a reduction in registrations from Poland, however these two nationalities account for the majority of registrations.  The total number of registrations has reduced by over 33% since 2015.

NINO registrations in Bassetlaw to adult overseas nationals entering the UK

 

Source: Adapted from DWP Stat-Xplore. Top 13 Nationalities shown. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data. Totals may not sum due to the disclosure control

Applications to EU Settlement Scheme for Bassetlaw - 28 August 2018 to 30 June 2020

Country	Applications for settled status (Bassetlaw)
Poland	2,210
Romania	830
Lithuania	160
Bulgaria	90
Italy	90
Latvia	80
Hungary	50
Germany	40
Portugal	40
Spain	40
Non-EEA	40
Netherlands	30
Slovakia	30
France	20
Greece	20
Total	3,800

It is difficult to predict migration changes over the life of the strategy due to the impacts on freedom of movement following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. The Council will need to monitor and respond to the effects of Brexit both on migration and the local economy.

In August 2020, the government published the number of applications to the EU Settlement Scheme broken down by lower tier authority.  Whilst these are experimental statistics only, they strongly correlate with the total NINO registrations over a five-year period, indicating higher levels of immigration from Poland, Romania and Lithuania, compared to other countries. 

Transgender Community

The government tentatively estimates that there are approximately 200,000-500,000 trans people in the UK, although no robust data on the UK trans population exists. The Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) estimate that around 1% of the population is ‘gender variant’ to some degree, although not all will seek medical treatment. The number of people seeking treatment is increasing by around 11% each year.

Trans is a general term for people whose gender is different from the gender assigned to them at birth. For example, a trans man is someone that transitioned from woman to man. Trans people do not feel comfortable living as the gender that they were born with. They take serious, life-changing steps to change their gender permanently. The word transgender is an umbrella term that is often used to describe a wide range of identities and experiences, including: transsexuals, cross-dressers, transvestites and many more. The Council will work to protect the transgender community from discrimination; whatever form it may take.

Household Data

As at August 2020 the Council recorded a total of 52,710 households. Over half of  the  properties  in  Bassetlaw  are  within  Band  A,  indicating  a  significant concentration of smaller, lower value properties.

Number of Households by Council Tax Bands ⁷

 

Information supplied by the VOA (Valuation Office Agency) on 08.20.

Hate Crime

The reporting of Hate Crime and Incidents are universally acknowledged as being underreported and it is therefore a questionable indicator of trends and patterns in our community. Historically, the majority of these incidents occur in late night fast food establishments, when alcohol has been consumed. This is in no way intended to minimise the impact and distress caused by being on the receiving end of such behaviour. However, the vast majority of people do not report such behaviour because they have been subjected to it as part of their life for as long as they can remember, whether it has been in relation to disability, sexuality, race, or other characteristic.

Our work and focus within Community Safety is and will continue to be promoting and acting as a catalyst for cultural and community change, by myth busting, challenging intolerance and mis-information, promoting positivity and sighting examples of cohesion and community integration. This we will do by working with the community in particular our young people, the voluntary and community sector and statutory sector in relation to domestic abuse, mental health, LGBT, rough sleeping, substance misuse and religious beliefs.

In the coming months and years we have challenges to be faced in relation to Brexit, COVID-19 pandemic and radicalisation based on right and left wing ideologies. However, we are committed to having an open and honest dialogue with all members of our community, to help build a fairer society, where everyone matters and they have a voice and also listen to others so we can move forward in a shared understanding.

Disability / Long term conditions

Long Term Health

10.8% of the Bassetlaw population that report that they have their day-to-day activities limited a lot – 1% higher than the county and 2% higher than the national average. However 42.8% of Bassetlaw residents report very good health compared to 6.7% reporting bad or very bad health. The 2014 Nottinghamshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment showed that 11.7% of the population report providing unpaid care with 3.1% providing 50 or more hours a week of unpaid care.

7550 of Bassetlaw’s residents (approx. 6.44%) were advised to shield from Covid-19. This is significantly higher than the England average (3.99%), and the highest percentage across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.  

Number of people shielding from Covid-19 (August 2020)

Council housing stock suitable for older residents (inc. adapted housing)

 

High levels of disability are leading to a high take up of the mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant provided through the Council and the Preventative Adaptation Scheme. These figures therefore have potential social care and healthcare implications. The Council is responding to increasing housing needs of older people. Schemes such as the Priory Court Independent Living Centre, which opened in 2020 are available to tenants over the age of 60 and feature a number of one and two bedroomed apartments.

Life expectancy from birth (2016-2018)

 

Source: Public Health England

Life expectancy in Bassetlaw is 78.71 for males and 82.49 for females; both of which are lower than the England and Nottinghamshire averages.

% of adults and reception age children who are overweight or obese (2018/19)

Area	% adults overweight or obese (2018/19)	% Children in Reception year overweight or obese (2018/19)
Bassetlaw	70.6	26.4
Newark and Sherwood	70.4	24.3
Mansfield	69.0	22.9
Ashfield	68.8	23.0
Gedling	67.7	22.3
Broxtowe	62.0	22.7
Rushcliffe	58.9	15.5
Nottinghamshire	66.7	22.4
England	62.3	22.6

Source: Public Health England

The numbers of people who view their own health as ‘very bad’ is high. Bassetlaw has the highest percentage of adults who are obese or overweight in Nottinghamshire. Incidence of excess weight in Bassetlaw children is too high, with over 26% of reception year children being overweight. Compared to other areas, emergency admissions are high.

Smoking prevalence in Bassetlaw is 19.6% (2017) compared to the national average of 14.9%. Alcohol related hospital admissions in Bassetlaw are above the national average. The percentage of people diagnosed with any form of cancer who are still alive a year later is lower than the national average (67.9% compared to 69.6% nationally).

There are also significant inequalities within the district. For example, life expectancy for a woman born in Worksop South East ward (77.4 years) is almost 9 years less than for a woman born in East Markham ward (86.3 years). Over 48% of households in Sutton are economically inactive, compared to 24% in Worksop North ward, and 12.7% of people in Sutton have their day-to-day activities limited by long term health conditions, compared to only 8.6% in East Retford West ward.

In June 2020, Public Health England published ‘Disparities in the risk and outcomes from Covid-19’. It confirms that the impact of Covid-19 has replicated health inequalities and, in some cases, has increased them. The largest disparity was by Age, those living in the more deprived areas, and high in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups than white ethnic groups.

The Government’s Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2019 has ranked Bassetlaw as 106 out of the 317 Local Authorities in England making it within the 35% most deprived areas nationally. In practice, there are areas of contrast in the District where discrete areas of multiple and isolated types of deprivation sit alongside areas of relative affluence: 7.1% of the population live within the top 20% of the least deprived areas of England, but 21.4% live in the 20% most deprived areas.

At a more detailed level, 5 out of the 70 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) across Bassetlaw are within the 20% least deprived LSOAs in England, whereas 13 of the LSOAs are within the 20% most deprived LSOAs in England. This may have an impact on other economic, social and environmental issues in the District. For example, Public Health England state that life expectancy is 8.9 years lower for men and 7.6 years lower for women in the most deprived areas of Bassetlaw than in the least deprived areas. Health inequalities therefore remain a priority in the District.

Areas of Deprivation

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is the official measure of relative deprivation in England. It uses a framework to measure deprivation by considering a wide range of people’s living conditions and services available to them. People may be considered to be living in poverty if they lack the financial resources to meet their needs, whereas people can be regarded as deprived if they lack any kind of resources, not just income. The map below shows the main areas of deprivation in Bassetlaw. (Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2019).

Domain ranks – Bassetlaw out of all authorities in England: Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2019

As reported by LG inform, Bassetlaw is ranked:

• 12 out of All local authority districts in East Midlands (there are a total of 36) and 127 out of all 317 authorities in England for the Income domain
• 7 out of All local authority districts in East Midlands and 74 out of all 317 authorities in England for the Employment domain
• 10 out of All local authority districts in East Midlands and 78 out of all 317 authorities in England for the Education domain
• 8 out of All local authority districts in East Midlands and 68 out of all 317 authorities in England for the Health domain
• 8 out of All local authority districts in East Midlands and 128 out of all 317 authorities in England for the Crime domain
• 17 out of All local authority districts in East Midlands and 183 out of all 317 authorities in England for the Barriers domain.
• 17 out of All local authority districts in East Midlands and 217 out of all 317 authorities in England for the Living Environment domain.

(Rank 1 = most deprived, 317 = least deprived.

% of households in fuel poverty (2018) for Bassetlaw

Area	% (2018)
Bassetlaw	11.3
Mean of all local authority districts in East Midlands	10.3

As at the year 2018, over 11 percent of households in Bassetlaw are classed as in fuel poverty.

Isolation, Loneliness and Accessibility

Large areas of the district are very rural with limited public transport, which is increasingly under review as local government faces further funding cuts.

A large proportion of health services are on the edge of the district or even outside, which would require a significant journey by public transport.

Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older People

Loneliness is an individual’s sense that they lack the depth and quality of relationships with others that they feel they want or need. People can be alone and not feel lonely, or they may be with others and feel very lonely, as many people do who live in care homes. Loneliness is therefore slightly different to social isolation which is an absence of social contact, although it is clear that one can lead to the other. Loneliness can affect people of all ages, but older people are particularly vulnerable since they are more likely to suffer poor physical or mental health and live alone.

National data identified that 2-16% of all older people experience regular loneliness which increases to approximately 50% in the over 80s, although loneliness can be experienced at any age – with a large elderly population and many rural communities, rural and social isolation where this results in loneliness is a concern in Bassetlaw.

Limitations of data

It should be noted that some of the data presented in this strategy is based on 2011 census data, for example ethnicity. At the time of writing this is the best available data but is over nine years old, and therefore should be treated with a degree of caution. The next census will take place in 2021, and will be used to inform policy direction once this data becomes available at district and lower levels.

---

Last Updated on Friday, June 30, 2023