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Census gives
insights into characteristics of the North West's population
STATISTICS published from
the 2011 Census reveal the changing characteristics of the
population in every region of England and Wales and the 348 local
authorities that form them. These statistics cover topics such as
ethnicity, religion, country of birth, health, accommodation,
tenure, and availability of cars and vans.
This release supplements the figures published in July 2012, which
put the total population of England and Wales on census day (27
March 2011) at 56.1 million; an increase of 3.7 million (7%) since
2001. There were 7.1 million residents in the North West. This
was an increase of some 279,000 (4%) since 2001, and represents 13%
of the population of England and Wales.
The median age of the region was 39, the same as the England and
Wales average. Within the region this ranged from 29 in Manchester
(joint fourth lowest in England and Wales, with Oxford) to 48 in
South Lakeland.
The North West is a diverse region with both large urban areas
(Manchester) and rural areas such as the Lake District. Because of
this diversity although some local authorities may show up as being
of particular interest for certain topics the region itself may not
share the same characteristics, for example, the North West is the
most densely populated region after London however the least densely
populated local authority in England and Wales is in the North West:
Eden.
Guy Goodwin, ONS Director of Census said:- "These statistics
paint a picture of society and help us all plan for the future using
accurate information at a local level. This is just the tip of the
iceberg of census statistics. Further rich layers of vital
information will be revealed as we publish more detailed data at a
very local level over the coming months."
Some headline facts of life in the North
West are:-
Religion
There was a decrease of 11 percentage points in the proportion of
people in the North West who stated their religious affiliation as
'Christian'
as in most regions in England and Wales between 2001 and 2011. In
2011, 67% of residents in this region were Christian.
The North West had the lowest proportion of people who said they had
'No religion' (20%). This has increased by 10 percentage
points since 2001
The 10 local authorities with the largest proportion of Christians
in England and Wales were all in the North West, the highest being
Knowsley at 81%.
Outside London the local authority with the largest proportion of
Muslims was in the North West : Blackburn with Darwen at 27 per cent
(40,000 people).
Qualifications
3 of the top 5 local authorities in England and Wales with the
highest proportion of people with an apprenticeship were in the
North West: Barrow-in-Furness, Copeland, and South Ribble.
Barrow-in-Furness had the highest proportion of people with an
apprenticeship as their highest qualification (9%).
Ethnicity The North West had 90% of its population stating their ethnicity as
'White'.
Of all local authorities across England and Wales, Eden and
Allerdale had the highest proportion of people identifying
themselves as 'White' (both at 99%).
The local authority with the second highest proportion of 'White:
English/Wales/Scottish/Northern Irish/British' is Allerdale
(98%), after Redcar and Cleveland in the North East.
The North West has the 2nd highest proportion of Chinese after
London, although the number is relatively small (1%, 48,000).
Manchester is ranked 7th highest of all local authorities in England
and Wales for residents declaring themselves as 'Chinese'
(3%). Pendle is ranked 3rd highest of local authorities in
England and Wales of people declaring themselves as 'Pakistani'
(17%). Blackburn with Darwen is ranked 6th (12%).
Oldham is ranked 3rd highest of all local authorities in England and
Wales of people declaring themselves 'Bangladeshi' (7%).
Country of birth
In 2011 there were 577,000 foreign-born residents in the North West,
8% of the resident population. Manchester had the highest proportion
of foreign-born usual residents, with 25%.
Of the 20 local authorities with the lowest proportion of
foreign-born residents, 6 were in the North West:- Knowsley,
Allerdale, Halton, St Helens, Copeland, and Barrow in Furness - all
with less than 3% of their usual residents born outside the UK.
Health and provision of unpaid care
The North West had 19% of people who said their day to day
activities were limited by a long term health problem or disability.
This region had 10% of people who provided unpaid care for someone
with an illness or disability (10% for England and Wales as a
whole).
Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census - Key Statistics for Local
Authorities in England and Wales, March 2011.
ONS.GOV.UK. |
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Light
spectacular for L8
IT'S going to be a light Christmas in Liverpool 8 with a
spectacular display of illuminations using a landmark building.
Historic images of the area, interspersed with film of
carol-singers, are to be projected onto the 4 storey Coleman's
Fireproof Depository building, at the junction of Northumberland
Street and Park Road, in a unique festive celebration.
The light show will be staged by Illuminos, who specialise in
creating inventive and memorable artworks. Their recent work has
included Treasured, the Titanic commemoration at Liverpool
Cathedral.
For their latest work, to be staged on Saturday, 15 December 2012;
from 5.30 to
7.30pm; they have worked with local artist Alan Murray to gather
material for the show.
It will include vintage films of the area donated by local people, a
look at some of the famous sons and daughters of Liverpool 8 such as
Gerry Marsden, Robbie Fowler, Billy Fury, Arthur Askey and Alan
Rudkin and films of children of 6 local primary schools singing
carols.
"It is going to be a truly stunning show. We
are going to have the biggest outdoor cinema in the country!
The depository is a striking building which is very well-known. It
will be an ideal location for a show of this nature,
Illuminos have earned a reputation for exciting and imaginative
shows and I am sure their latest extravaganza will help make it a
memorable Christmas. This is a great way of bringing the
community together. Not only will we be celebrating Christmas, we
will be celebrating Liverpool 8 and showing the pride local people
have in their neighbourhood." said
Councillor Steve Munby, cabinet member for neighbourhoods
The light show is the centrepiece of the free Christmas celebration
which includes a grotto, food stalls and, of course, a visit by
Father Christmas.
This event is one a series of initiatives will celebrate Liverpool 8
and its history while enhancing the area. They include a new
heritage trail and the siting of a model of the Titanic in the area.
They have been part-funded by Tesco's as part of the agreement for
their new store in Park Road. The Christmas event is also
funded by the city council and Plus Dane.
EU boost for Southport businesses
BRITISH inventors are set to benefit from the
successful outcome of a 40 year EU battle on patent laws.
Businesses applying for patents currently need to have their
application translated into 23 different languages to protect their
rights in 25 EU countries.
But Euro-MPs this week gave their backing to a new patent law that
will allow inventors to apply in just one language and get
protection across the EU. The new unitary patents will be processed
in English, French or German; but can be submitted in any of the 23
official EU languages.
The new law will reduce the costs of an EU wide patent by 80% with
costs of translation, no longer being met by the inventors. Costs
will fall to €2380 during a short transition period and then €680
after that.
Patent costs in the USA and Japan are significantly lower than in
the EU making manufacturing in those countries more competitive.
Chris Davies, Lib Dem Euro-MP for Southport said:- "This is
exactly what the EU should be doing, making it easier and cheaper
for businesses across Europe to develop new products and promote
innovation. Manufacturing industry in the North needs to be on
a level playing field with international competitors. If we
are going to grow our way out of the current financial difficulties
we need to make things and export them and this will help."
Davies criticised UKIP MEPs who voted against the new patent law.
"UKIP has shown again that its obsessive hatred of the idea of
European cooperation puts jobs at risk. Its MEPs let down small and
medium sized businesses and our great Universities by voting against
this measure. Money that is currently being wasted on
translating patents can now be used for more research and most
importantly to create jobs. A widget made in Southport today can be
sold in Bulgaria tomorrow without the fear it will be copied."
Rail Operator Celebrates Birthday
with iPhone app launch
NORTHERN Rail, the UK's largest train
operator, celebrated its 8th birthday on 12 December 2012, and by
officially launching its latest tool to help keep customers updated;
an app for the iPhone. The app is free to download and will
allow passengers to plan any journey in Great Britain, check live
running time information and will save details of up to 20 previous
journeys, making it quick and easy for passengers to find the
information most relevant to them. Customers can also purchase
tickets through the app, which automatically finds the cheapest
available tickets for any journey across the country. Customer can
collect their tickets from over 1,000 stations 15 minutes after
purchase, with no hidden charges, such as booking or credit card
fees. Ian Bevan, Managing Director of Northern Rail,
comments:- "More and more of our customers are using smart
phones and we are delighted to launch this app, providing them with
the most relevant and up-to-date information at their fingertips.
It's our eighth birthday today and we have achieved much to be proud
of since 2004, and this app is another example of how we are
striving to improve our passengers' journey experience with us.
With live running time information direct from National Rail,
customers can monitor their journeys, check for any disruption or
delays and even check which platform they should head to at the
station. The app is initially only available on the iPhone,
with plans in place to roll out a version for android phones soon."
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