Edlesborough Parish Council

Analysis and Comparisons prepared by Councillor John Wilkinson for Edlesborough Parish Council

I have recently analysed the 2011 Census data for Edlesborough and compared it with Aylesbury Vale as a whole, the South East of England, the nearby parishes of Pistone, Cheddington and Wing in Aylesbury Vale and the Parish of Eaton Bray in Central Beds. Pitstone, Wing and Eaton Bray were selected because they are similar in size to the Parish of Edlesborough (including the parish wards of Dagnall and Northall). Cheddington was chosen because it is similar in size to the Parish Ward of Edlesborough.

Population Age Distribution

The age distribution of the population of Aylesbury Vale is generally similar to that of the South East of England, except that the proportion of people aged 65 and over is marginally lower. The village of Pitstone has a significantly higher proportion of under 16s and a lower proportion of over 64s than Aylesbury Vale in general. Edlesborough on the other hand has a higher proportion of over 64s than both Aylesbury Vale and the South East. Eaton Bray has an even lower proportion of under 16s and a higher proportion of over 64s than any of the other parishes.

Economic Activity

The proportion of people employed (including self employed) is slightly higher in Aylesbury Vale than in the South East in general. Unemployment levels tend to be marginally lower in the villages than the larger areas, although the proportion of economically inactive people tends to be higher in those villages with a higher proportion of over 64s as you would expect, especially Edlesborough. The proportion of people in employment is significantly higher in Pitstone than elsewhere, and the proportion of economically inactive people is lower.

Educational Qualifications

The proportion of people with no formal qualifications is lower in Aylesbury Vale than the South East and the proportion of people with higher education qualifications (degrees or equivalent) is higher. Cheddington has a significantly higher proportion of people with higher education qualifications, followed by Edlesborough. Cheddington also has the lowest proportion of people with no formal qualifications.

Method of Commuting to Work

The proportion of people using public transport to commute is understandably lower in Aylesbury Vale compared to the South East in general, due to its rural nature and limited public transport infrastructure. Consequently the use of private motor vehicles is a much higher (78% in Eaton Bray compared with only 66% in the South East). The use of public transport in the two villages closest to the railway station (Cheddington and Pitstone) is much closer to the proportion for the South East as a whole, but even in those locations, the proportion of private motor vehicles is still extremely high. The proportion of people working from home is noticeably higher in Edlesborough.

Households with Cars or Vans

The proportion of households with one or more cars (or vans) is very much higher in Aylesbury Vale than the South East in general, again due to the rural nature of the district and the limited public transport infrastructure. Furthermore, all the villages have an even higher proportion of households with cars than Aylesbury Vale as a whole. Only 30% of households in the South East have two cars compared with 36% in Aylesbury Vale and 47% in Edlesborough.

Tenure of Households

The proportion of properties that are owner occupied is noticeably higher in Aylesbury Vale than the South East in general and correspondingly the proportion of rented properties is lower. With the exception of Wing where the proportions are similar to Aylesbury Vale, the level of home ownership tends to be higher in all of the other villages. Edlesborough has the highest proportion of owner occupied households and the lowest proportion of rented properties, especially socially rented.

Type of Properties

Aylesbury Vale has a greater proportion of detached houses than the South East in general and a lower proportion of flats. All the villages without exception have an even higher proportion of detached houses and a lower proportion of flats than Aylesbury Vale overall. Edlesborough has the highest proportion of detached properties (59%), twice the South East average of 28%.

Council Tax Bands

The proportion of larger properties in Aylesbury Vale mean that a greater proportion of households are in the higher Council Tax bands compared with the South East in general. Similarly those villages with the greater proportion of larger detached houses have fewer properties in the lower tax bands. For the South East overall, 52% of properties are in the tax lower bands A, B and C. For Aylesbury Vale 49% of households are in the lower three bands, but for Edlesborough only 25% are below Band D but 65% are above band D.

More Information

For more information, please click on: 2011 Census Headline Comparisons (28.4.14)

2011 Census Full Analysis (27.4.14)

-- Cllr. John Wilkinson, Edlesborough Parish Council, prepared 19th April 2014