Local help →Chichester, in numbers
Chichester local authority 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
The district has community wardens, a safety partnership and a programme supporting local groups.
These are existing routes for coordination. Their presence does not prove that crime or isolation has fallen; outcomes need to be measured.
Evidence 1 · Evidence 2 · Evidence 3
What could help →strength
More than £365,000 was allocated across 63 community projects in 2025/26.
Allocation is not the same as spending or a measured benefit. Publishing delivery and results would make that support easier to follow.
What could help →strength
Average private rent is £1,333 a month (August 2026) in Chichester council area. This is £126 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 12.1% in Fernhurst to 37.2% in Chichester Central — a gap of 25.2 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
4.3% of people reported bad or very bad health in Chichester council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.7% in Loxwood to 7.4% in Selsey South — a gap of 4.7 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
37.2% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Chichester council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8.4% in Chichester North to 24.2% in Sidlesham with Selsey North — a gap of 15.8 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.
What could help →weakness
Nightly-paid temporary accommodation held 106 households in June 2026. This is one part of temporary accommodation, not all homelessness.
The district also reported 160 affordable homes enabled in 2025/26 against a target of 167. Supply and immediate housing need require separate measures.
What could help →weakness
Police neighbourhood trends differ within Chichester. City-centre activity cannot be inferred from the district average.
Published police locations are approximate and omit unmapped incidents. Counts do not measure every crime or the risk to an individual.
Evidence 1 · Evidence 2 · Evidence 3
What could help →weakness
Several regeneration schemes remain in design or feasibility in the reviewed evidence.
A funding announcement does not show money spent or benefits achieved. Missing completion evidence is not proof that nothing happened.
Evidence 1 · Evidence 2 · Evidence 3
What could help →weakness
42.3% of household waste was reused, recycled or composted in 2025/26. Food-waste collections began near the end of that year.
The first-quarter report still awaited a new recycling figure. It cannot yet establish the full-year effect of the new service.
What could help →opportunity
Southern Gateway brings homes, workplaces and public space into one regeneration plan.
It is an opportunity in the reviewed plans. Design, transport arrangements and funding still need to become deliverable commitments.
Evidence 1 · Evidence 2 · Evidence 3 · Evidence 4
What could help →opportunity
A new collection service creates a chance to divert more waste from disposal.
The service launch is confirmed. Its full-year effect is not yet established by the reviewed figures, so compare later results with the existing baseline.
What could help →opportunity
27.1% of people in Chichester council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 17.6% in Chichester East to 37.6% in Selsey South — a gap of 20 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 Chichester 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
11 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 8% in Fittleworth to 20.3% in Chichester East — a gap of 12.3 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →threat
Housing delivery must keep pace with wastewater capacity and protection of the harbour.
Capacity, nutrient pollution and water supply are different constraints. Their boundaries differ; a district-wide label can mislead.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Housing pressure reaches beyond house prices106 nightly-paid households in June 2026; this excludes other forms of temporary accommodation. | District housing service and housing providers | |
| Growth needs working water infrastructureNo single numerical baseline is established for this proposed action; use the linked evidence and publish the applicable starting measure before assessing impact. | District planners, Southern Water and environmental regulators | |
| District totals can conceal local changesNo single numerical baseline is established for this proposed action; use the linked evidence and publish the applicable starting measure before assessing impact. | Sussex Police and the Community Safety Partnership | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plans need visible delivery milestonesNo single numerical baseline is established for this proposed action; use the linked evidence and publish the applicable starting measure before assessing impact. | District council with county council, landowners and delivery partners | |
| Recycling needs a new baseline42.3% recycling in 2025/26; first-quarter 2026/27 data was awaited in the reviewed report. | District waste service | |
| Local organisations already have a way to work togetherNo single numerical baseline is established for this proposed action; use the linked evidence and publish the applicable starting measure before assessing impact. | Sussex Police and the Community Safety Partnership | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Community projects have secured supportNo single numerical baseline is established for this proposed action; use the linked evidence and publish the applicable starting measure before assessing impact. | District council with county council, landowners and delivery partners | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Reconnect the station, canal and city centreNo single numerical baseline is established for this proposed action; use the linked evidence and publish the applicable starting measure before assessing impact. | District council with county council, landowners and delivery partners | |
| Measure the difference food-waste collections make42.3% recycling in 2025/26; first-quarter 2026/27 data was awaited in the reviewed report. | District waste service | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,333 a month (August 2026) in Chichester council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 12.1% in Fernhurst to 37.2% in Chichester Central — a gap of 25.2 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Plan homes and care around an older population27.1% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 17.6% in Chichester East to 37.6% in Selsey South — a gap of 20 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 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 health4.3% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.7% in Loxwood to 7.4% in Selsey South — a gap of 4.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 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 opportunities37.2% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8.4% in Chichester North to 24.2% in Sidlesham with Selsey North — a gap of 15.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 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 | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 8% in Fittleworth to 20.3% in Chichester East — a gap of 12.3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |