Local help →Wiltshire, in numbers
Wiltshire council area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
strength
Salisbury’s River Park play area and remodelled station forecourt are open.
Proposed response: Move from opening milestones to checking everyday accessibility and maintenance at both places.
What could help →strength
The first River Park phase has reduced flood risk. Its walls, channels and riverside spaces still need maintenance and inspection.
Proposed response: publish who maintains each asset and keep flood preparedness visible alongside the park’s leisure use.
What could help →strength
Average private rent is £1,082 a month (August 2026) in Wiltshire council area. This is £377 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.5% in Salisbury St Francis & Stratford to 47.8% in Tidworth East & Ludgershall South — a gap of 39.3 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.
What could help →strength
4.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Wiltshire council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2% in Tidworth North & West to 7.4% in Melksham Forest — a gap of 5.5 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.
What could help →strength
34.2% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Wiltshire council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8% in Chippenham Pewsham to 22.7% in Melksham Forest — a gap of 14.7 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.
What could help →weakness
The town council proposes replacing deteriorated play equipment with a more inclusive facility. Its published progress still shows funding and approval work to complete.
This is a local delivery priority; the wider authority totals cannot establish this project’s effects.
What could help →opportunity
The leisure and library campus is an existing public facility. The 2024 capital report confirms its opening and later finishing work.
This is a local delivery priority; the wider authority totals cannot establish this project’s effects.
What could help →opportunity
21.9% of people in Wiltshire council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 4.3% in Tidworth North & West to 33.9% in Mere — a gap of 29.6 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.
What could help →opportunity
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Wiltshire 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.
What could help →opportunity
5 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.
What could help →opportunity
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 7.7% in By Brook to 23.5% in Melksham Forest — a gap of 15.8 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →threat
Most first-phase River Park works were complete in 2024; later phases depend on funding.
Progress should be checked against the named project and the needs of its users.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Keep Salisbury’s opened facilities accessible and usefulSalisbury River Park play area: Play area opened; Salisbury station forecourt: Remodelled forecourt open. See the dated project evidence. | Salisbury City Council, Wiltshire Council and Environment Agency; Wiltshire Council, South Western Railway and Network Rail | |
| Keep flood protection working after the openingEnvironment Agency update of 13 September 2024: reduced River Avon risk to more than 350 properties; most phase-one works complete. | Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City Council | |
| Replace Trowbridge’s ageing play equipment accessiblyTrowbridge town-centre play park redevelopment: Design and approval stages; summer 2027 completion target. | Trowbridge Town Council | |
| Keep Melksham’s campus accessible to nearby communitiesMelksham Community Campus: Opened August 2022; final equipment and payment reported in July 2024. | Wiltshire Council | |
| Keep Salisbury’s flood works maintainedRiver Park flood protection and riverside habitats: Most phase-one works reported complete in September 2024; later phases depend on funding. | Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City Council | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,082 a month (August 2026) in Wiltshire council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.5% in Salisbury St Francis & Stratford to 47.8% in Tidworth East & Ludgershall South — a gap of 39.3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 98 of 98 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plan homes and care around an older population21.9% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 4.3% in Tidworth North & West to 33.9% in Mere — a gap of 29.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 98 of 98 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health4.2% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2% in Tidworth North & West to 7.4% in Melksham Forest — a gap of 5.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 98 of 98 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities34.2% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8% in Chippenham Pewsham to 22.7% in Melksham Forest — a gap of 14.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 98 of 98 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 7.7% in By Brook to 23.5% in Melksham Forest — a gap of 15.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 98 of 98 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |