Staffordshire as a place to live

Contents

Overview

Key Issues: Crime, Domestic abuse, Housing & fuel poverty.

Feeling safe and secure is essential to wellbeing. Priorities around community safety raised by local people include reducing and supporting victim-based crime, tackling all aspects of domestic abuse, anti-social behaviour, alcohol and drugs and serious organised crime. Alongside this, wider determinants such as the level of fuel poverty and homelessness in Staffordshire give an indication on how quality of life for residents in Staffordshire can be improved.

Key headlines:

  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, recorded crime reduced by 15% locally, with rates well below national and regional levels.
  • Although overall crime has decreased, domestic abuse related crime remains static (+2%).
  • Domestic abuse referrals to providers has increased (+25%) significantly through the pandemic. Demand for mental health support is high, with just over half receiving this.
  • Overall rates of anti-social behaviour are just below national, with more than a third of all ASB (37%) related to COVID-19 measures.
  • Fuel poverty increased and higher than national, with Staffordshire Warmer Homes Fund supporting over 250 homes by end of June 2021.
  • Reduced number of households homeless/at risk of becoming homeless, however higher than average (50%) proportion in priority need.
  • Local surveys highlight other important aspects to living in Staffordshire; fostering community spirit experienced during the pandemic is important to many, as well as valuing the local environment and Staffordshire’s green spaces.

Data update

Ensuring that everybody living in Staffordshire has a healthy and supportive place to live and work is a priority for Staffordshire County Council. As a result of COVID-19, reported crime across Staffordshire has decreased, however domestic abuse related crime has remained consistent and referrals to providers have increased during the pandemic. Similarly, although there has been a decrease in the amount of people seeking homelessness support, the proportion of people with priority need to housing has increased.

Crime ASB and domestic abuse

Recorded crime

  • As a result of COVID-19, recorded national crime reduced by 13% on the previous year, and reduced by 15% locally.
  • Crime rates in the County and across all Districts are well below national and regional levels.
  • While drugs offences have increased nationally by 14%, locally they have reduced by a fifth (20%).
  • Not all types of crime have decreased - Violence against the person offences remained static (+0.5% nationally and locally).

Anti-social behaviour

  • In 2020-21 ASB included recorded breaches of COVID-19 related measures, which make it difficult to compare to previous years.
  • At a local level, more than a third of all ASB (37%) incidents relate to COVID-19 measures, which inflates statistics.
  • Overall rates of ASB in the County are just below national, however Tamworth, Cannock and Newcastle are all higher, consistent with pre-COVID-19 data.
  • ASB remains a Community Safety priority for all Districts.
  • Pre COVID-19, the majority of ASB incidents related to Rowdy & Inconsiderate behaviour in public places. It is expected that post COVID-19 this trend will continue.

Domestic abuse

  • Although crime overall has decreased, Domestic Abuse related crime has remained static (+2%).
  • However, referrals to providers have increased significantly through the pandemic (+25%), along with increasing complexity.
  • Mental health support is high, with just over half receiving support for this.
  • DA remains largely hidden – estimates suggest those who come into contact with Staffordshire Police represent around 35% of all victims. This is similar to estimated levels nationally.
  • DA remains a Community Safety priority for all Districts.

Housing and fuel poverty

  • Fuel poverty (fuel costs above average, where spending that amount leaves residual income below poverty line) increased to 15.2%, after a small decrease in the last two years, with rates statistically higher than national.
  • Staffordshire Warmer Homes Fund supporting over 250 homes by end of June 2021.
  • 57,600+ Staffordshire households struggle to maintain a warm, dry home.
  • Those affected live primarily in East Staffordshire and Newcastle. Both areas also have higher unplanned admissions for respiratory conditions.
  • Fewer households homeless/at risk of becoming homeless - down to 479 (Apr-Jun 20) from 559 in 2019. However, more (238, 50%) are in priority need – higher than West Midlands (41%) and similar to national (50%).