Issues and SWOT: Mid Sussex

strength

Keep the new youth space useful

Mount Noddy’s new play and youth facilities are open.

Young people need maintained places to meet and be active.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,423 a month (August 2026) in Mid Sussex council area. This is £36 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.8% in Crawley Down to 30.4% in East Grinstead Town — a gap of 23.7 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.

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

3.5% of people reported bad or very bad health in Mid Sussex council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.7% in Haywards Heath North to 5% in Burgess Hill Victoria — a gap of 2.3 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.

strength

Connect local skills to local opportunities

38.7% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Mid Sussex council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 7.6% in Haywards Heath North to 18.5% in Burgess Hill Leylands — a gap of 10.8 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.

weakness

Give the town centre a realistic delivery sequence

Martlets still had conditions to meet after July’s decision.

Businesses need clarity while plans progress.

Evidence

opportunity

Build on the separate food-waste service

Food waste is now collected separately and treated locally.

Better participation can recover more material from general rubbish.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

20.6% of people in Mid Sussex council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.6% in Handcross & Pease Pottage to 28.5% in East Grinstead Herontye — a gap of 16 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.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Mid Sussex 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.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 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.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 6.5% in Haywards Heath North to 17.6% in Burgess Hill Leylands — a gap of 11.1 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Do not book benefits before the redevelopment proceeds

Martlets depends on remaining commercial and funding conditions.

Projected regeneration can be delayed without reducing present needs.

Evidence