1

livin Aycliffe Village

Community Plan 2012-2014

with the community at heart Revised March 2013

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Equality and Diversity livin aims to ensure that Equality and Diversity lies at the heart of our business and allows our customers to access high quality services tailored to their individual diverse needs. It is our policy to provide access to services and employment equality to all, irrespective of age, race or ethnic origin, gender, marital or family status, religious or philosophical belief or political opinion, disability, nationality or sexual orientation. As part of our commitment we, and our working partners, aim to treat everyone as equal citizens and recognise, support and value the diversity of the communities in which they live.

Contact Us

Communities Team

livin, Farrell House, Arlington Way

DurhamGate, Spennymoor, Co Durham, DL16 6NL

0800 587 4538 (free from a landline) or 0300 111 2234 (low rate

call from a mobile phone depending on your network)

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Based on the intelligence contained within each Community Plan livin has been able

to rank the local community based on; Bronze (potential), Silver (aspiring) or Gold

(performing).

This will enable livin to see which communities require more immediate and intensive

interventions whilst ensuring there are mechanisms in place to maintain Gold

standards.

Indicator Ranking

Housing Market Affordability BRONZE

Tenancy Turnover GOLD

Demand for livin housing BRONZE

Average Repair Costs Per Property SILVER

Long Term Unemployment1

(6 - 12 months) GOLD

Average Household Income2 BRONZE

Rental Debit GOLD

Educational Attainment3

(5 GCSE’s Grade C & Above)

GOLD

Environmental Assessment GOLD

Overall Community Ranking

GOLD

1 Data used to compile this ranking relates to the Neville and Simpasture Ward (including

Aycliffe Village and part of Aycliffe Old Town). Census Data collection limitations have

restricted this information being available for Aycliffe Village only.

2 Data used to compile this ranking relates to the Neville and Simpasture Ward (including

Aycliffe Village and part of Aycliffe Old Town). Census Data collection limitations have

restricted this information being available for Aycliffe Village only.

3 Data used to compile this ranking relates to the Neville and Simpasture Ward (including

Aycliffe Village and part of Aycliffe Old Town). Census Data collection limitations have

restricted this information being available for Aycliffe Village only.

Community Ranking- Aycliffe Village

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Page No.

Section 1 Community Profile 7

1.1 Demographics 9

1.1.1 Population – Now and in the Future 9

1.1.2 Mosaic Community Profile 14

1.1.3 Religion and ethnicity 15

1.2 Housing 17

1.2.1 Housing Tenure 17

1.2.2 Average House Prices 19

1.2.3 Current Supply and Demand for Housing 22

1.2.4 livin Tenancy Sustainment 25

1.2.5 Vacant / Abandoned properties 26

1.2.6 Future Demand for Housing 28

1.2.7 Average cost of repairs to livin properties 30

1.2.8 Average Cost of Improvement Programmes

for livin properties 30

1.3 Crime and Antisocial Behaviour 31

1.4 Economy and Employment 35

1.4.1 Economic Activity 35

1.4.2 Jobseekers Allowance claimants 40

1.4.3 Department for Works and Pensions Key

Benefit Claimants 41

1.4.4 Household income 42

1.4.5 Vehicle ownership and cost of travel 43

1.4.6 Rental debit in livin properties 44

1.5 Access to Services and Facilities 46

1.6 Health and Well Being 51

Contents

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Page No

1.7 Education and Training 55

1.8 Reputation of the Neighbourhood and Community

Cohesion 59

1.9 Local Environment 60

Section 2 Community Priorities 63

Section 3 Review of the Community Plan 64

Appendix 1 livin Strategic Framework and Regulatory

Requirements 65

Appendix 2 Methodology 71

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Page No.

Figure 1.1 Aerial overview of Aycliffe Village 9

Figure 1.2 Age Profile of population in Aycliffe Village 10

Figure 1.3 Household profile for Aycliffe Village 11

Figure 1.4 Population projections for Durham County 12

Figure 1.5 Age pyramid projections for Durham County 13

Figure 1.6 Housing tenure in Aycliffe Village 18

Figure 1.7 Average house prices in Aycliffe Village 20

Figure 1.8 livin stock in Aycliffe Village 23

Figure 1.9 livin tenancy sustainment in Aycliffe Village 26

Figure 1.10 Neville and Simpasture Police Beat Area 32

Figure 1.11: Reported incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour

in Aycliffe Village during December 2010 to November 2011 33

Figure 1.12 Reported cases to livin of nuisance and

antisocial behaviour within Aycliffe Village

during 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 33

Figure 1.13 Economic activity in Aycliffe Village 36

Figure 1.14 Occupation profile of 16 to 74 year olds in

Aycliffe Village 38

Figure 1.15 Economic inactivity in Aycliffe Village 39

Figure 1.16 Jobseekers Allowance claimants in Aycliffe Village 41

Figure 1.17 Breakdown of persons residing in Aycliffe Village

claiming key DWP benefits 42

Figure 1.18 Levels of health in Aycliffe Village 51

Figure 1.19 Educational attainment within Aycliffe Village 55

Figure 1.20 Route of Environmental Assessment 61

List of Figures

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Great Aycliffe was once part of a vast forest of oak trees bearing the name Auckland

or Oakland. Throughout this area there were many clearings and small settlements,

one of them being Aclea or Acle - Saxon meaning ‘clearing in the oak trees’ (cliff -

Saxon meaning ‘a rock or headland’). Over the centuries the early forest tribes, the

Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans cut the trees down for use as fuel,

bridge/road building, repairs and later for ship-building.

By the middle of the seventeenth century the great forest of Auckland was razed to

the ground. The parish may have been part of a royal estate, since King Alfred

granted all the country between the Rivers Wear and Tees to become part of the

See of Lindisfarne. Great Aycliffe and School Aycliffe were mortgaged to the Earls of

Northumberland by Bishop Aldhune to pay the expenses of wars being waged during

these times. Symeon writes that Great Aycliffe was restored to the church when King

Canute made his bare-foot pilgrimage from Trimdon to the shrine of St. Cuthbert in

Durham Cathedral, but at a later date the Church registers record that ‘Scot, the son

of Elstane or Alstane gave Aycliffe to St. Cuthbert’ (Surtees, 1823). In 1082 Bishop

William de Carileph granted the church and tithes to the Convent of Durham

(assigned to the 3rd stall in Durham Cathedral, while Preston, Ketton and Ricknall go

to the 8th stall).

The monks of Durham were licensed by Bishops Hatfield, Fordham and Dudley in

1379, 1388 and 1484 respectively to acquire land in the parish, resulting in there

being little freehold estate left in Aycliffe. Up to the nineteenth century the Dean and

Chapter were Lords of the Manor and owned nearly all the land in the village. Well

known families, who have held land in the parish, are the Bulmers of Tursdale (who

granted all their land including the quarries in 1622 to John Atkinson of Aycliffe), the

Claxtons of Olde-Park (held 60 acres called Le Croceflatt, near the church), the

Conyers of Sockburn, the Amundevilles of Coatham Mundeville and the Earls of

Eldon.

In Saxon times the village was known as Aclea or Acle, but over a thousand years or

more the changes in the spelling of the modern name of Aycliffe add up to over 40

variations. Aclea appears in Saxon charters describing 2 synods which were held in

the village - ‘782. In this year Werburh, Coelred’s queen, and Cynewulf, Bishop of

Lindisfarne, died. And there was a synod at Aclea’. A second synod was held in

788/9. There is much controversy as to whether they were held in Aycliffe, Co.

Durham or Oakley in Essex / Surrey.

The village, five miles north of Darlington, is pleasantly situated on grassy banks,

west of the River Skerne which powered the paper and corn mills up to the

nineteenth century. The road, which climbs up from the river, widens into a spacious

and attractive green.

Section 1 Community Profile

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The village is surrounded by many farms, quarries or marle pits as they were known in the Middle Ages, lime kilns and a lone windmill (which still survives) .The village, having grown from a population of 200 - 250 people (90 households) in 1563 to 1,314 in the 1950’s, now extends along the old Great North Road (London to Edinburgh) which still curves through the village.

Because of this great thoroughfare stretching between the capitals of England and Scotland, the village would have witnessed Scottish border raids, armies marching north and south during the Northern Rebellion of 1569, the Civil War of the 1640’s and the subsequent desecration of churches by ‘Roundheads’, also the Jacobite Rebellions of 1715 and 1745. By 1934 the Great North Road was becoming unsuitable for the ever increasing flow of heavy traffic and a bypass (later the A167) was built along the western edge of the village boundary. Quieter times have now descended on the village, although the two world wars took their toll of the menfolk as can be seen from the stone war memorial, for both wars, in St. Andrew’s churchyard. (Information courtesy of the Aycliffe Village Local History Society)

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Figure 1.1: Aerial overview of Aycliffe Village

Source: Ordnance Survey

1.1 Demographics

Unless stated all statistical and profile data contained within this Plan relates to the

combined neighbourhoods of both Aycliffe Village and part of Newton Aycliffe as it

has not been possible to obtain either Census or Electoral Ward data for Aycliffe

Village alone.

Any AAP data or statistics contained within this Plan relates to the Great Aycliffe and

Middridge AAP, as the village of Aycliffe Village falls into the area covered by this

Partnership.

1.1.1 Population- now and in the future

The population within the settlement of Aycliffe

Village is approximately 1507 (DCC Census

settlement summary, 2001). 48.37% of the total

population are male with the remaining 51.63%

being female (Census, 2001, Lower Level Super

Output Area (LLSOA), KS01, 012B).

The population of Aycliffe

Village is approximately 1507.

(DCC, Census Settlement Summary,

2001)

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Population data indicates that Aycliffe Village has a diverse range of age groups.

The population of residents aged 0 to 15 years (20%) and 65 years or over (18.6%)

is higher when compared to the Durham County and North East averages.

The percentage of residents aged 25 to 64 years (52.9%) is comparable to both the

Durham County and North East averages. To facilitate good levels of economic

activity within an area it is essential that a high percentage of the population are of

working age and contributing to the local economy through employment or actively

seeking work.

The percentage of residents aged 16 to 24 years (8.6%) living within the village is

lower than the Durham County (11%) and North East averages (11.1%).

Figure 1.2: Age profile of population in Aycliffe Village

Source: Census 2001, LLSOA KS02, 012B

The main household types within Aycliffe Village are one person households

(29.12%), followed by married couples with no dependent children (21.96%), then

households consisting of married couples with dependent children (15.89%).

These percentages of one person households (29.12%), married households with

dependent children (15.89%) together with the percentage of married couples with

no dependent children (21.96%) are broadly comparable to both the Durham County

and North East averages.

20.0

8.6

52.9

18.6

19.1 11.0 53.3 16.5

19.8

11.1

52.6

16.6

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

Persons aged 0-15 Persons aged 16-24

Persons aged 25-64

Persons aged 65years or over

Aycliffe Village

County Durham

North East

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Figure 1.3: Household Profile for Aycliffe Village Source: Census 2001, LLSOA KS02, 012B

Trend based projections from DCC indicate that countywide the population will

initially decline by 2016 before increasing to an estimated total of 501,625 in 2026

(Strategic Housing Market Assessment, DCC, 2010). Figure 1.4 illustrates the actual

population totals within Durham County for the period 1981 to 2007. Future

population figures up to the year 2026, as projected by DCC, are shown in pink on

the graph.

15.89

21.96

4.67

2.49 7.17 4.21

29.12

0.00 13.39

1.09

Aycliffe Village

Married couple household withdependent child(ren)

Married couple household withno dependent child(ren)

Cohabiting couple householdwith dependent child(ren)

Cohabiting couple householdwith no dependent child(ren)

Lone parent household withdependent child(ren)

Lone parent household with nodependent child(ren)

One person household

Multi person household: Allstudent

Multi person household: Allother

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Figure 1.4: Population projections for Durham County

Source: Durham County Strategic Housing Market Assessment, 2010

The late 1950’s through to the early 1970’s saw a steady rise in the number of births

throughout the Country. The progression of this ‘baby boom’ period has caused, and

will continue to cause, different challenges to the County’s population. Currently this

generation falls entirely within the economically

active age group (generally 16 to 64 years), but

shortly will begin the transition into retirement and

will be the main driver of an ageing population over

the coming years. Increasing life expectancy will

also contribute towards the County’s growing elderly

population. DCC’s age pyramid (figure 1.5)

highlights the expected increase in the 65 plus age

group, together with a decline in the economically

active age group. The projection of an increasing elderly population, coupled with an

associated fall in the numbers of persons that are economically active will see an

increased demand on fiscal, housing and health provisions throughout the County

during the coming years.

To facilitate good levels of economic activity within an area it is essential that a high

percentage of the population are contributing to the local economy through

employment or by actively seeking work. To encourage and attract an economically

active population to reside in an area it is imperative for there to be a good supply of

local sustainable jobs, affordable housing and accessible services and facilities.

2008-based projections: various trends for the overall population

465000

470000

475000

480000

485000

490000

495000

500000

505000

510000

515000

520000

525000

530000

535000

540000

545000

550000

555000

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

2023

2025

Nu

mb

er

anticipatedactual

DCC

Principal

DCC Lower

95%

DCC NC

ONS

Principal

An ageing population, and

fall in the number of

persons economically

active by 2026 will place

an increased demand on

fiscal, housing and health

provisions.

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Figure 1.5: Age pyramid projections for Durham County

Source: Durham County Council, Strategic Housing Market Assessment, 2010

Currently just over half of residents within the village are aged between 25 to 64

years. During the next 20 to 30 years this age group either enter, or continue their

transition into retirement. If efforts are not made to continually encourage and attract

younger households to the village through the provision of affordable and accessible

housing, sustainable employment and access to a wide range of services and

facilities then it is likely that an ageing population may become prominent. An

ageing population can result in decreasing levels of economic activity; this is turn can

have a detrimental effect on sustainability and the local economy.

DCC estimates indicate that in 2010 there were 206,281 households countywide.

This number is expected to increase by 24.9% to a total of 257,651 households by

2030 (Strategic Housing Market Assessment, DCC, 2010). By 2030 single person

households (including single pensioners) are expected to double (100.3%) to 56,564;

whereas two person households are only expected to increase by 18% to 14,087.

Larger households of three persons or more are expected to reduce by 26.9% to

19,281. This decrease in larger households, coupled with a significant increase in

single person households, will have a major impact on the supply and demand of

housing throughout the County.

2008 based projections: the Age Pyramids for County Durham in 2008 and 2026 implied by

the DCC and ONS projections

40000 30000 20000 10000 0 10000 20000 30000 40000

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85-90

90+

ag

e g

rou

ps

year 2008 year 2026

ONS 2026

ONS 2008

2026 DCC

2008 DCC

2 per. Mov. Avg.(2008 DCC)2 per. Mov. Avg.(ONS 2008)2 per. Mov. Avg.(2026 DCC)2 per. Mov. Avg.(ONS 2026)

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1.1.2 Mosaic Community Profile

Utilisation of Mosaic Public Sector, provided by Experian, has enabled livin to

determine a community profile for Newton Aycliffe as a whole, and for livin tenants

within the New Town. This profile will help livin to understand the key characteristics

of the community, and livin’s tenants, with the aim of informing the efficient and

effective delivery of the identified actions contained within this Plan. The Mosaic

Public Sector profile data contained within this Plan relates to livin tenants only.

The Mosaic community profile for Newton Aycliffe highlights there to be a higher than

average percentage of livin households classified in the following profile groups

when compared to the rest of Durham County:

• Group O - Families in low-rise social housing with high levels of benefit need

• Group F – Couples with young children in comfortable modern housing

• Group D – Successful professionals living in suburban or semi-rural homes

Of the above profile types it is expected that 14% of residents are couples or families

with a comfortable level of income and good educational attainment. However in

‘Group O‘, (15.6%), it is expected that these residents suffer from poor health and

generally their income is low or benefit dependant.

It is expected that within Newton Aycliffe 40% households will consist of residents

with sufficient incomes in right to buy social housing and elderly people reliant on

state benefits. However this is comparable to the Durham County average.

There is lower than average percentage of households classified in the following

groups when compared to the rest of Durham County:

• Group I - Lower income workers in urban terraces in often diverse areas

• Group B – Residents of small and mid-sized towns with strong local roots

• Group C – Wealthy people living in the most sought after neighbourhoods

The above groups consist of only 8.6% of total households in Newton Aycliffe.

The Mosaic data for residents of Aycliffe Village highlights a different community

profile. This data illustrates a higher than average percentage in the following profile

groups when compared to the rest of Durham County:

Group J – Owner occupiers in older-style housing in ex-industrial areas

Group B – Residents of small and mid-sized towns with strong local roots

Group L – Active elderly people living in pleasant retirement locations

Group E – Middle income families living in moderate suburban semis

Group D – Successful professionals living in suburban or semi-rural homes

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The likelihood is that these 5 groups make up the vast majority of the households

within Aycliffe Village, approximately 96%.

1.1.3 Religion and ethnicity

An understanding of the ethnic and religious structure of the local population enables

livin to ensure that its services are equally accessible, responsive and tailored to the

needs and requirements of all residents living within its local communities. It will also

help livin to ensure that any minority groups are consulted with during future

research and intelligence gathering, and allows for consideration of any specific

needs in relation to access for housing, health, and employability during the creation

of each community’s key priorities and Local Offers.

2001 Census data indicates that the main religion in Aycliffe Village is Christianity

(82.74%). 0.2% stated their religion to be Hindu and the remaining population stated

they had no religion or did not provide details. (Census, 2001, LLSOA KS02, 012B).

Ethnicity within the village predominantly consists of White British (98.47%). The

remaining 1.53% of the population is from other ethnic backgrounds including; Other

white, Irish and White and Black Caribbean, (Census, 2001, LLSOA KS02, 012B).

Recent research conducted by DCC and NHS Darlington estimated that between

0.43% to 0.57% of Durham County’s population consists of people from Gypsy,

Roma and Traveller Households (Renaissance Research, 2010). Further analysis of

these figures is currently not possible due to a lack of further data and intelligence.

DCC’s Gypsy, Roma and Traveller site at East Howle, near to Ferryhill, is the only

permanent residential site within livin’s area of operation.

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What does this mean for livin? It is important that the available housing stock within a community is able to meet the

housing demands of the current and future population. Approximately half of

households in Aycliffe Village consist of families and couples, the majority of who will

have a housing need for larger sized quality homes with two bedrooms or more.

There is a very limited amount of social housing for families and younger couples

within Aycliffe Village. livin is the main social housing provider within the village, and

owning a total of only forty five properties. Of these properties only twenty two of

these properties can be utilised to help meet the housing need for couples and

families.

To facilitate good levels of economic activity in a community it is essential that a high

percentage of the population are contributing to the local economy through

employment or actively seeking work. To achieve this it is important that efforts are

made to continually attract and encourage younger households to live in the area

through the provision of affordable and accessible housing and sustainable

employment. It is also necessary for there to be a range of accessible, local services

and support organisations that can provide family centred support to these

households over the coming years.

livin owns a total of forty five properties within Aycliffe Village consisting of one and

three bedroom bungalows, two, three and four bedroomed houses, two bed upper

floor flat and six bedsit sheltered accommodation.

Key Demographic Characteristics:

20% of residents are aged 0 to 15 years. This is higher than the Durham

County average of 19.1%.

61.5% of residents are aged 16 to 64 years. This is lower than the Durham

County average of 64.3%.

18.6% of residents are aged 65 years or more. This is higher to the Durham

County average of 16.5%.

The main household type with Aycliffe Village is One Person Households

(29.12%). County Council projections indicate that the number of single

households will significantly increase over the coming years.

Trend-based projections indicate that the Countywide population will increase

to an estimated total of 501,625 in 2026 (DCC, 2010).

98.47% of residents are White British and the prominent religion is Christianity

(82.74%). 0.2% of residents are Hindu.

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The lettings of bungalows are normally restricted to persons aged 60 or over, or

those with a medical need. Countywide, there is currently a high demand for

bungalows with two bedrooms or more and analysis of future population trends and

projections will expect this level of demand to continue and based upon this livin only

have one three bed bungalow within the village as the remaining stock of bungalows

are one bedroomed.

An analysis and understanding of the Mosaic Public Sector profile for Aycliffe Village

will enable livin to ensure that any specified actions within the Plan are tailored to

meet the needs and characteristics of the identified profile Groups living within the

community.

An understanding of the ethnic and religious structure of the local population will

enable livin to ensure that its services are equally accessible, responsive and

tailored to the needs and requirements of all residents living within its local

communities.

1.2 Housing

1.2.1 Housing tenure

This section contains information that relates to the Census data of the Neville and

Simpasture Ward as it has not been possible to only detail Aycliffe Village in

isolation.

The Ward has a range of housing tenures, this is very important as a diverse mix of

different housing tenures will positively contribute towards making the village more

sustainable, by meeting the needs of a cross section of the population.

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Figure 1.6: Housing Tenure in Aycliffe Village Source: Census, 2001, LLSOA KS02, 012B

62.9% of residents living in the Ward that includes

Aycliffe Village, own their properties. Of this total

26.2% own their property outright with a further

36.7% through a mortgage or loan scheme. This is

lower than the Durham County average which

indicates that 66.9% of households own their own

homes. No households own their property

through a shared ownership scheme.

Social housing consists of domestic properties which are owned by Registered

Providers (RP’s), or the Local Authority. All social housing in Aycliffe Village that

was previously owned by Sedgefield Borough Council (SBC) is now owned and

managed by livin.

Although the Ward advises that the level of Social

housing within the Village is 33% this is not a true

reflection of the stock held by livin within this

community. Based up 45 properties owned by

livin and an approximate 660 homes within

Aycliffe Village it is more conceivable that the

percentage of Social housing linked to livin’s

stock is 6.8%. A high percentage of owner

occupation and low percentage of socially rented properties within an area are

typical characteristics of a rural village.

26.2

36.7 0.0

33.3

0.6 1.4 1.7

Owner Occupied: Owns outright

Owner Occupied: Owns with amortgage or loan

Owner occupied: Shared ownership

Rented from: Local Authority - includinglivin

Rented from: Housing Association /Registered Social Landlord

Rented from: Private landlord or lettingagency

Rented from: Other

62.9% of households in

Aycliffe Village own their own

property. This is lower than

the Durham County average

of 66.9%.

33.3% of households in the

Neville & Simpasture Ward

live in social housing. This is

significantly higher than the

Durham County average of

25.4%.

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The percentage of households living in privately rented properties (1.4%) within the

Ward is lower than the Durham County average of 5.0%. In the past the private

rented sector has played an important role in the housing market by offering

accommodation for those households unable to

access owner-occupation or socially rented housing.

Tighter controls and restrictions on mortgages and

financial lending are likely to place an even higher

future demand on this already limited sector.

There is a residential Gypsy, Roma and Traveller

site located at East Howle approximately nine miles

from Aycliffe Village. The site is provided by DCC and has 25 permanent pitches. It

is the only permanent residential site within livin’s area of operation.

As details are not clearly defined by the Census data it is not possible to make a true

judgement over the balance of the housing market. Generally rural villages exhibit

high owner occupier and low Social Housing and this could be the case within

Aycliffe Village but there would be a need to address Aycliffe Village in isolation to

determine specific data.

It is important to note that to facilitate and maintain sustainability within a community

there needs to be a varied range of housing options available to meet the demands

and needs of local residents.

1.2.2 Average house prices

Land Registry data for January to March 2010 indicates that the average house price

in DL5 6 (covering Aycliffe Village and areas of Heighington) was £160,723. This

price is a staggering £49,418 higher than the Durham County average of £111,305

for the same period and compared house types (Land Registry, 2011).

Land Registry data highlights that terraced house prices for DL5 6 for this same

period were on average £125,000. The average price of a terraced property in

Durham County for this period was £60,742, costing on average £64,258 less than a

similar property in DL5 6.

The cost of purchasing a semidetached

property (£155,875) within the postcode area

of DL5 6 is substantially higher than the

Durham County average of £94,403. It is

also apparent that the cost of purchasing a

detached property (£201,294) within this

postcode area is £22,523 more than the

Durham County average of £178,711.

1.4% of households in the

Neville & Simpasture

Ward live in privately

rented properties. This is

lower than the Durham

County average of 5.0%

During January to March 2010

the average cost of buying a

home in the postcode area of

DL5 6 was over £49,000 more

when compared to the Durham

County average.

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It has not been possible to obtain individual house price data from Land Registry for

Aycliffe Village alone. It is recognised that the differing affluences and desirability of

properties within the areas included in the postcode DL5 6, including Aycliffe Village

and areas of Heighington will have a bearing on the local house prices for each

individual area. Information obtained from the Zoopla website for the last year of

sales, indicates that sold property prices within DL5 6 range from £42,000 to

£196,000 for a terraced property and £115,500 to £200,000 for a semidetached

property. For larger sized detached properties the sale price is recorded as £84,000

to £335,000. The data from Zoopla and the Land Registry shows that the mid-range

sale price per property type is comparable for DL5 6.

Figure 1.7: Average House Prices in DL5 6, Aycliffe Village (January to March 2010) Source: Land Registry, 2011

The County Durham Strategic Housing Market Assessment (DCC, 2010) assessed

affordability between lower quartile house prices and lower quartile earnings. Based

on these figures buyers would need to borrow an average 4.6 times their income

(based on lower quartile earnings) to purchase a property (based on lower quartile

house prices) in the area of the former Sedgefield Borough.

Access to lending on homes is calculated using a multiplier of 3.5 for single

households and 2.9 for households with two or more incomes.

For Aycliffe Village, buyers will need to borrow 9.43 times their own income to

purchase a property within the area of DL5 6 (covering Aycliffe Village and areas of

Heighington). This has resulted in a ranking of BRONZE. However, intelligence

indicates that this figure may be substantially higher given details of the sold house

prices obtained from Zoopla for the last year when compared to Land Registry data.

Full details of the methodology for this ranking can be found in Appendix 2.

£201,294

£155,875

£125,000

£160,723

£178,771

£94,403 £60,742

£111,305

£0

£50,000

£100,000

£150,000

£200,000

£250,000

Detached Semi - Detached Terraced Total Average

Aycliffe Village

Durham County

21

Although during livin’s consultation event there were no comments about the

affordability of property in the village or the need for a provision of additional social

housing for households that cannot afford to access owner occupation this cannot be

dismissed as a need or an issue given that all residents within the community have

not made their views known.

Although there are a number of current Government incentives available nationwide

to help first time property buyers these are generally only available on new build

properties. There are currently no new housing developments being built in Aycliffe

Village.

A new scheme called First Buy has been introduced from September 2011. This

scheme is jointly funded by the Government and house builders and will provide a

20% loan to top up the first time buyer’s own deposit of 5%. This will allow them to

take out a mortgage for 75% of the property’s value. The loans will be free of charge

for the first five years and must be repaid when the property is resold. The funds will

then be recycled to fund more homes in the scheme. There is currently a FirstBuy

scheme located at Cobblers Hall in Newton Aycliffe. There are also a limited number

of shared ownership and rent to buy properties available within Newton Aycliffe.

Key Housing Market Characteristics:

Aycliffe Village has a range of Housing Tenures; this is important as a diverse

mix of tenures will contribute towards making an area more sustainable by

meeting the need of a cross section of the population.

62.9% of households within the Ward own their property outright, or through a

mortgage or loan scheme. This is lower than the Durham County average of

66.9%.

The village has a substantially lower percentage of social housing (6.8%

approximately) when compared to the rest of Durham County (25.4%).

1.4% of properties in the ward are privately rented properties. The private

rented sector plays an important part in any local housing market as it is able to

offer accommodation for those unable to access owner occupation or social

housing.

Land Registry data indicates that during January to March 2010 the average cost

of buying a property in the postcode area of DL5 6(including Aycliffe Village and

areas of Heighington) was over £49,000 more when compared to the Durham

County average.

22

What does this mean for livin?

livin only has a small stake of the housing market within this community given the

lower than average percentage of social housing in Aycliffe Village.

The private rented sector in the Ward is also comparatively small. Despite the small

percentage of social housing within the village it is important that livin understand

their essential role in helping to balance the local housing market whilst also making

efforts to help meet housing need, as identified in DCC’s Housing Strategies. This

may be through the development or acquisition of housing stock.

livin needs to consider the health of the local housing market and the ability of

households to meet their own housing need. The high cost of properties within the

Ward has the potential to see many households unable to access owner occupation.

A limited number of social housing, suitable for single households, younger couples

and families and an already limited private rented sector has the potential to see

increased pressure on livin’s housing stock in the surrounding communities of

Newton Aycliffe or Shildon.

1.2.3 Current supply and demand for housing

livin housing stock

livin currently owns and manages a total of 45

properties in Aycliffe Village (livin, 2011), this being

approximately 6.8% of households within the village.

Ownership of these properties transferred to livin in

March 2009 as part of a stock transfer from the former

Sedgefield Borough Council. Since March 2009, there

have been no properties within Aycliffe Village

purchased from livin through the “Right to Buy” scheme.

livin’s properties within Aycliffe Village include; 1 and 3 bedroomed bungalows, a two

bed upper floor flat, a mixture of 2,3 and 4 bedroomed houses and bedsit

accommodation. There are no two bedroom bungalows owned by livin within the

village. Although Aycliffe Village has one four bedroom property, typically they can

be found in livin’s larger towns, including Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor.

Households requiring these property types will be required to consider accessing

owner occupation or the private rented sector. If these households are unable to

afford owner occupation and are not able to find a suitable private let within the

village this will result in them being required to move away from Aycliffe Village to

meet their housing need.

livin own 45 properties

in Aycliffe Village; there

is no two bedroom

bungalows and only 1

three bedroomed

bungalow.

23

Property Types

1 Bedroom Bungalow 17

2 Bed Upper Floor Flat 1

2 Bedroom House 7

3 Bedroom Bungalow 1

3 Bedroom House 12

4 Bedroom House 1

Bedsit Sheltered Ground Floor 6

Total 45

Figure 1.8: livin stock in Aycliffe Village (as at 11 January 2012)

Source: livin, 2011

It is important that stock levels within an area are able to meet current and future

demands for housing. Within Aycliffe Village, livin do not own any two bedroom

bungalows and only one three bed together with generally low stock levels of two

bed houses. Together with low levels of turnover this will see many households

having to consider other housing options. An inability to access owner-occupation,

social housing or the private rented sector may force many households, including

couples and families, to move away from the village.

As the majority of persons within these households are likely to be economically

active their move from the village has the potential to see a downturn in the area’s

economy and the level of sustainability within the village.

The provision of bungalows within an area would normally be expected to help meet

the demands of an ageing population, or those wishing to remain in mainstream

housing through their later years. Countywide there is currently an increased

demand for bungalows with two bedrooms or more (County Durham Strategic

Housing Market Assessment, DCC, 2010), and it is expected that the trend will

continue and will highlight the limited stock types owned by livin within the village.

livin housing demand, need and turnover

Since 1 October 2009 livin has allocated properties

through a Choice Based Lettings (CBL) scheme,

known as Durham Key Options (DKO). DKO is a

partnership of local housing providers across County

Durham. CBL allows applicants to place an interest,

or “bid”, for the type of property they require based on their circumstances.

Analysis of livin’s housing register in February 2011 found there to be very low

demand for social housing within Aycliffe Village, from residents already living in the

village. This may be as a result of the limited stock levels owned by livin within the

village.

There is low demand for

social housing from

residents already living

within Aycliffe Village.

24

During the period 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010, there were only 3 one

bedroom bungalows and a one bedroomed bedsit available for let in Aycliffe Village

making livin’s stock turnover within the village to be 6.67%. There were a total of 19

bids received for the 3 one bed bungalows and 4 bids

received for the one bedroomed bedsit. This highlights a

poor level of demand for these property types within the

village.

When we compare the stock turnover of 6.67 within

Aycliffe Village against the total turnover of all livin’s

housing stock (9%) for the same period it is apparent that turnover is low, although it

is important to recognise that stock numbers within Aycliffe Village are small, which

will have a bearing on the percentage of turnover within the village.

Based on national benchmarking figures provided by HouseMark this level of stock

turnover has resulted in Aycliffe Village being ranked as BRONZE for Tenancy

Turnover. Full details of the methodology used for this ranking can be found in

Appendix 2.

To maintain sustainability within an area there will always be a need for some level

of tenancy turnover. It is important that turnover does not reach a level where it

becomes detrimental to housing demand, the area’s reputation or the local economy.

Likewise, levels of turnover must not be as low as to restrict access to social housing

for households with a housing need. A low level of turnover in a community with

limited social housing stock can result in higher demand being placed on the private

rented sector, or households being required to move away from the area to access

affordable or social housing.

Countywide there is a high demand for two bedroom properties and there is currently

an increased demand for bungalows with two bedrooms or more (County Durham

Strategic Housing Market Assessment, 2010). Comparison of the current population

within the village to DCC’s forecasted population for 2028 expects this trend to

continue. Within Aycliffe Village, livin own a total of 18 bungalows but none have two

bedrooms. The limited availability of family homes owned by livin within Aycliffe

Village will require those households with a housing need for these property types to

consider other housing options. Again for many households, including first time

buyers or those in receipt of a low income, buying their own home is not a viable

option leading to an increased demand on the private rented sector. High market

rents or a lack of availability of suitable properties within this housing sector may

ultimately force some households to move out of the local area in search of suitable

accommodation.

During the period 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010, there were only one livin

property within Aycliffe Village that were required to be advertised with CBL on three

or more consecutive bidding cycles before being let.

During the 1 October

2009 to 30 September

2010 there was limited

tenancy turnover in

Aycliffe Village.

25

Data from DKO’s database indicates a low level of overall demand from applicants

for livin’s housing stock within the village. Due to a low number of bids received per

property advertised and one hard to let property in the village and a very low amount

of applicants indicating Aycliffe Village to be an area of preference; the village has

been ranked as BRONZE. Full details of the methodology used for this ranking can

be found in Appendix 2.

During consultation residents expressed no concerns about the limited number of

properties owned by livin within the village, and no remarks regarding a need to

increase demand for socially rented and private sector properties as a result of

restricted access to owner occupation for many households due to restricted

mortgage products and financial lending.

1.2.4 livin tenancy sustainment

There is a high percentage of long term tenancy

sustainment within the 45 properties owned by livin

in Aycliffe Village. These high levels of tenancy

sustainment are reflected in the low level of

turnover of livin properties in the village.

As at 11 January 2012, 22.73% of livin tenants have sustained their current tenancy

for a period of 0 to 4 years. A further 18.18% of tenants have sustained their

tenancy for a period of 5 to 9 years and 59.09% of tenants who have a tenancy in

Aycliffe Village have lived in their current home for 10 years or more.

Community sustainability requires an appropriate level of tenancy turnover. High

levels of long term tenancy sustainment within social housing can be for a multitude

of reasons. Although some may be favourable it is important to ensure that tenants

are not remaining in their current home due to restrictions in their housing options

(i.e. ability to purchase own property) or financial restrictions around the cost of

relocating.

59.09% of tenants who have

a livin tenancy in Aycliffe

Village lived in their current

home for 10 years or more.

26

Figure 1.9: livin tenancy sustainment in Aycliffe Village

Source: livin, 2011 (not including void properties or non livin managed properties)

High levels of tenancy sustainment can often be found in areas where there are a

number of properties that are used to house older households or those with medical

need. As increasing numbers of older households are now making the decision to

remain in mainstream housing through their later years rather than move into

specialised accommodation it is expected that tenancy sustainment will place an

even higher level of demand on the availability of social housing within Aycliffe

Village in the future. High levels of tenancy sustainment may also result in housing

stock being under occupied. Larger households may over time reduce in size due to

children growing up and leaving home, relationship breakdowns or bereavement. In

addition to a detrimental effect on the level of housing demand within an area there

may be financial implications to the tenant as a result of the Government’s

forthcoming Welfare Reform which aims to reduce benefit payments for households

that are under occupying their property (excluding those over 61 years).

1.2.5 Vacant / Abandoned properties

High levels of void or empty properties can be an indicator of low demand for

housing within an area. Aycliffe Village has a low percentage of housing stock

consisting of empty and/or abandoned properties; indicating a good level of demand

for housing within the village.

Data obtained from DCC’s Council Tax database in January 2012 indicates there to

be no only 3 properties that have been empty and/or abandoned (this figure may

include properties that are currently for sale) for a period of six months or more

within Aycliffe Village.

10

8

26

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0-4 Years 5-9 Years 10 Years +

Nu

mb

er

of

ten

anci

es

livin Tenancy Sustainment

27

What does this mean for livin?

Demand for livin’s housing stock in Aycliffe Village has been ranked as BRONZE. It

is essential that this ranking is improved to Silver over the coming year. However

the identification and development of interventions to increase demand will be

challenging due to low levels of stock turnover and the limited amount of stock

owned by livin in the village.

It is important that to maintain sustainability within the village there is a good supply

of accessible and affordable family homes. Currently the majority of housing stock

within Aycliffe Village consists of one and three bedroom bungalows with no two

bedroomed bungalows; therefore not meeting the County Council’s identified need

for this property type. Consideration of the village’s current population and the 2028

forecasted population projection by DCC indicates that this demand for larger sized

bungalows will continue to increase over the next 10 years.

Although the existing housing stock owned by livin plays an important role in helping

to balance the housing market and meet the housing need of local residents the

number of properties and property types that exist within the village are limited and

the impact will not be high.

Key Supply and Demand Characteristics:

livin currently own 45 properties within Aycliffe Village; there is no two bedroom

bungalows and only one three bedroom bungalow.

There are limited totals of house types due to stock level. There is only one 4

bedroomed house owned by livin in the village. Households requiring these

property types may be forced to access the private rented sector or move away

from the village to meet their housing need.

Demand for social housing is low from residents that currently live in the village.

During the period 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010, there were only 3 one

bedroom bungalows and a one bedroomed bedsit available for let in Aycliffe

Village making livin’s stock turnover within the village to be 6.67%.

There was one property that was hard to let during the period 1 October 2009

to 30 September 2010.

Local residents made no comments regarding access to the housing market due

to reduced mortgage products and financial lending, or the impact this is having

on increasing demand for social housing.

59.09% of livin tenants living within the village have sustained their tenancy for

a period of 10 years or more.

28

Consideration of required property types for Aycliffe Village is important and this may

highlight a requirement for livin to increase or adapt its current stock to meet the

needs of future population projections and community requirements.

1.2.6 Future demand for housing

Population and household projections for a community can be utilised by a number

of different service providers to predict the future level of demand on their services.

In conjunction with other social, economic, and environmental indicators these

projections may be used to forecast the demand and need for housing in a

community.

DCC have conducted a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (DCC, 2010) which

can be utilised by RP’s to help determine the expected level of demand for housing

over the coming years and assist them in developing future housing strategies.

Population and household projections within this Community Plan are based on this

assessment.

It is expected that the vast majority of older persons will decide to remain in their own

homes with mainstream housing providing the primary means of meeting this

demand. Local RP’s will be required to support this by providing extra support

services and help for people to adapt their homes to meet their changing needs.

Some vulnerable groups will require support or bespoke housing solutions and it is

expected that there will be a sharp growth in demand for specialist housing projects

for persons aged 75 years or older during the coming years. The decisions of older

households to remain in their homes will influence the supply of housing available for

other household groups. As a result it is important that local RP’s recognise the

potential opportunities for supporting older households to downsize, thus releasing a

supply of larger family homes for other household groups.

In recognition of this increased demand on mainstream housing the Northern

Housing Consortium (NHC) published a guide to Age Friendly Communities in the

North: People and Places 2020.

This publication is the result of a two year project involving consultation with local

communities and key Consortium members, and focuses on building an evidence

base to demonstrate the significant impact housing can have on the physical and

mental health and wellbeing of older people.

During livin’s consultation local residents did not provide any comments relating to

energy saving measures or increasing energy efficiency within their homes and their

potential to affect future demand.

29

What does this mean for livin?

livin’s Development and Asset Management strategies must take into account future

population projections and consider the expected demand for social housing within

its communities to ensure housing stock meets the future needs and demands of

local residents and population projections.

livin will also have to consider its current housing provision and how it will meet the

needs of an increasing elderly population whilst also finding bespoke solutions to

meet the individual needs of vulnerable groups. Anticipation of an ageing population

and an increased countywide demand for two bedroom bungalows highlights the

requirement for livin to consider its current provision of housing stock for older

persons. There may also be potential opportunities for housing providers to support

older households to downsize thus releasing a supply of larger family homes for

other household groups.

The current economic climate and an increasing public awareness surrounding the

benefits of installing energy efficient measures within homes may over the coming

years begin to influence the levels of demand for livin’s properties. This will require

livin to investigate the potential benefits of installing a range of energy efficiency

measures within its current properties and future developments. In addition to

helping reduce the consumption of energy in livin homes these measures may also

see cost saving benefits for tenants through reduced energy bills.

Key Future Demand Characteristics:

An ageing population, and fall in the number of persons economically active by

2026 will place an increased demand on fiscal, housing and health

provisions.

By 2030 the County is expected to see:

single person households increase by 100.3%

two person households increase by 18%

three person households or more decrease by 26.9%

The majority of older persons will want to remain in their own homes through their senior years. This will place an increased demand on mainstream and social housing.

Increased future demand is expected for support services for vulnerable groups, and a need for bespoke housing solutions or specialist housing projects for persons aged 75 years or more. It is important that livin’s housing stock is able to meet the future demands of an ageing population.

30

1.2.7 Average cost of repairs to livin properties

The repair and maintenance of livin’s properties is essential to ensure that they

remain in excellent condition and to the high standards expected by tenants. Aycliffe

Village has been awarded a ranking of SILVER for average repair costs per property

during 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 when compared to other livin communities.

Full details of the methodology used for this ranking can be found in Appendix 2.

During the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 livin, together with its repairs and

maintenance partner Mears, completed 138 repairs (including gas safety) to

properties in Aycliffe Village. 28% of these repairs were emergency repairs which

required immediate attention.

The average repair cost (including gas safety) per property across all of livin’s 19

communities for the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 was £604.

During 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011, the number of completed repairs (including

gas safety) to livin properties in Aycliffe Village decreased to 133 although 35% of

these repairs were emergency repairs which required immediate attention.

1.2.8 Average cost of improvement programmes for livin properties

Over the next few years, and as part of promises to tenants, livin is investing over

£100 million in a rolling programme of modernisation and improvements to the

properties that it owns.

The modernisation and improvement programme that livin is carrying out on its

properties is to a much higher standard of works than that of the Government's

Decent Homes Standard.

The improvements that livin are completing include:

New kitchens

New bathrooms

Central heating replacement

Electrical works

Internal and external door replacement

Roofing works

During a programme of works not all of livin’s properties will receive all of the above

improvements at the same time. There are a number of factors that determine which

improvement works are completed at the property during forthcoming programmes.

During 2009/2010, livin’s average repair cost per property in Aycliffe Village was

£639.13, during 2010/2011 this reduced to £579.24 per property

31

For example some properties may only receive new internal and external doors,

whereas other may be due new internal and external doors plus a replacement

kitchen and bathroom.

During 2009/2010, internal modernisations and improvements were made to 29 of

livin’s properties in Aycliffe Village at an average cost of £2,641.03 per property.

These properties received new internal and external doors and heating

improvements.

During 2012/2013, livin expects to carry out a full electrical rewire and heating

improvements to 26 properties at an expected average cost of £2,431.84 per

property.

What does this mean for livin?

Aycliffe Village has a reasonable repair cost per property for 2009/2010 resulting in a

ranking of SILVER.

Since 2009, livin has completed a number of improvement and modernisation

programmes to its properties within Aycliffe Village. It is expected that these

improvement programmes, together with the programmes scheduled for completion

during 2012/2013, will provide a reduction in the average repair cost per property

and help to increase the sustainability of livin’s homes within the village during the

coming years.

1.3 Crime and Antisocial Behaviour

Aycliffe Village is located in the Police Beat area of Neville and Simpasture Ward.

The nearest staffed Police stations are located in the neighbouring towns of Newton

Aycliffe, Bishop Auckland and Spennymoor.

During 2010/2011, livin improved properties in Aycliffe Village at an average cost

of £2,744.47 per property.

32

Figure 1.10: Neville and Simpasture Police Beat Area

Source: Police.uk

For the period 01 December 2010 to 30 November 2011, Durham Constabulary

reported the level of crime and disorder within the Neville and Simpasture Ward to

be “Average” when compared to the rest of the Police Beat Wards within England

and Wales.

During this period there were a total of 133 reported incidents of crime and antisocial

behaviour in Aycliffe Village (Police.uk, 2012). Of this total 65 were in relation to

antisocial behaviour, 36 were in relation to “other” crimes (including criminal damage,

shoplifting and drugs), 17 were in relation to vehicle crime, 12 in relation to burglary

and 3 related to violent crime.

During December 2010 to November 2011 the police received 133 reported

incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour within the Neville and Simpasture

Ward.

(Police.uk, 2012)

33

Figure 1.11: Reported incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour in Neville and Simpasture

Ward during the period December 2010 to November 2011 Source: Police.uk, 2011

livin’s Support and Intervention Team received 13 complaints of nuisance or

antisocial behaviour occurring within Aycliffe Village during the period 1 April 2010 to

31 March 2011.

Figure 1.12: Aycliffe Village. livin asb complaints Source: livin Support and Intervention Team

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Nu

mb

er

of re

port

ed

inci

de

nts

Neville and Simpasture Ward

Burglary

ASB

Vehicle Crime

Violent Crime

Other

0

1

2

3

4

Reported complaints to livin

Loud music

Offensive behaviour

Vandalism & damage to property

Litter / rubbish / fly tipping

Pets & animal nuisance

Nuisance from vehicles

Domestic abuse

34

Recent consultation completed by DCC (Residents Survey, 2010) highlighted that

within the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area, less than 1% of residents feel

unsafe in their local neighbourhoods during the day. The AAP’s with the highest fear

of safety during the daytime were Bishop Auckland and Shildon, and 4Together, both

with a percentage of 3%. 9% of Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP residents stated

they felt unsafe in their local area during the evening, this being the 6th lowest out of

all of the County’s 14 AAP’s. The AAP with the highest fear of safety during the

evening was Bishop Auckland and Shildon with 15%. Countywide, 42% of residents

completing the survey indicated the main reason for feeling unsafe in their local

neighbourhood is due to youths congregating on the streets.

During livin’s consultation event there were no concerns raised by residents about

antisocial behaviour.

Mosaic profile data highlights that households classified in profile Groups L, J, B, E

and D, which generally consists of elderly people, families and married couples,

have an “average “ to “ very low” fear of becoming a victim of crime in their

community. This is expected to cover over 90% of total households in the village.

Key Crime and Antisocial Behaviour Characteristics:

For the period December 2010 to November 2011 the level of crime and disorder

within the Neville and Simpasture Ward was considered by the Police to be

“Average” when compared to the rest of the Police Beat Teams in England and

Wales.

During the same period there were 133 reported Police incidents of crime and

antisocial behaviour within the Neville and Simpasture Ward:

65 reported incidents were in respect of antisocial behaviour

17 incidents related to vehicle crime

36 incidents related to other crimes, such as criminal damage, shoplifting and

drugs

12 incidents related to burglary

3 related to violent crime

During the period 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011, livin’s Support and

Intervention Team received 13 complaints of nuisance or antisocial behaviour.

During consultation local residents raised no concerns about antisocial

behaviour.

The DCC Residents Survey found that less than 1% of residents living in the

Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area feel unsafe in their neighbourhoods

during the day and 9% during the evening.

35

What does this mean for livin?

It is important that livin maintains its commitment to providing a robust and

responsive service for dealing with incidents of nuisance and antisocial behaviour in

local communities.

livin is aware that partnership working is essential when addressing and dealing with

both the fear of and actual incidents of crime, nuisance and antisocial behaviour in

its communities. As such livin will continue to actively work with local residents and

community groups, the Police, DCC and other agencies through the attendance of

staff members at PACT meetings, residents meetings and other local events to

promote its services, help reduce the fear of crime, nuisance and antisocial

behaviour and offer help and support to victims.

1.4 Economy and Employment

1.4.1 Economic activity

“Economic activity relates to persons aged 16 to 74 years who are in employment, or

actively seeking employment and are available to start work within 2 weeks.”

(Source: Census, 2001)

Of this total economic activity 38.6% were in full time employment, this being

comparable with the Durham County average of 38.5%. 11.2% of residents were in

part time employment, this being slightly higher than the County average of 10.7%.

5.9% of residents were self-employed; this was also slightly higher than the Durham

County average of 5.4%.

It is acknowledged that as a result of the current economic climate the level of

economic activity within Aycliffe Village may have changed since this data was

collated in 2001.

During 2001 economic activity within Aycliffe Village was 60.9%; this was slightly

higher than the Durham County average of 60.2%.

(Source: Census 2001)

36

Figure 1.13: Economic Activity in Aycliffe Village

Source: Census 2001, LLSOA, KS09A, 012B

The 2010 Indices of Deprivation indicates that in relation to employment, 26.0% of

residents living in the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area are deemed to be in

the top 10% nationally deprived and 77.1% in the top 30% nationally deprived

(Communities and Local Government (CLG), 2010).

The percentage of residents in the top 10% deprived is notably lower than the

Durham County average of 30.8%. There has been a small decrease in the levels of

employment related deprivation since 2007, when 26.3% of residents were deemed

to be in the top 10% most deprived. It is important to note that this data relates to

Great Aycliffe and Middridge, not Aycliffe Village alone.

Nearly three quarters of businesses in the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area

are classed as small with 10 or less employees (DCC, 2011). During the period

2006 to 2008, the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area was home to 5.8% of the

total number of businesses that were operating within Durham County. 73.7% of

these businesses employed 10 employees or less, whilst 26.3% employed 11 or

more employees (Annual Business Inquiry, 2008).

Neighbouring Newton Aycliffe is home to the second largest industrial estate in the

area. There are also a number of smaller industrial estates located at Shildon. All

are home to a number of local, national and international businesses. Large

industrial estates are also located at Darlington, Peterlee, Sedgefield and Wynyard.

NETPark in Sedgefield is seen to be one of the fastest growing science, engineering

and technological business parks in the Country with good access to the major roads

of the A1 and A19. Wynyard Park, located at nearby Wynyard, is home to a number

of local, national, and international businesses. There are smaller estates located

38.6

11.2

5.9 3.8

1.4

38.5

10.7 5.4 3.7 1.8

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

Employees Full-time

EmployeesPart-time

Self Employed Unemployed Full timeStudent

Aycliffe Village

Durham County

37

within the surrounding area at Bowburn, Fishburn, Meadowfield, Willington, Chilton

and Spennymoor.

Development is also currently under way on DurhamGate in Spennymoor, a large

mixed-use regeneration scheme which will incorporate business, living and leisure.

The proposed retail and commercial developments at the DurhamGate site in

Spennymoor and the Hitachi factory in Newton Aycliffe are expected to help boost

economic activity and employment opportunities for local residents.

Although livin own a number of retail units in neighbouring Newton Aycliffe and

Shildon there are none located within Aycliffe Village.

The importance of sustainable employment and enhanced job prospects within the

local area has been acknowledged during Forum Events conducted by Great Aycliffe

and Middridge AAP. During 2011/2012, “employment, job prospects and enterprise”

was a key priority for the AAP to tackle. At the AAP’s Forum Event in November

2011, the issue of “employment, enterprise, education and training” was voted by

Forum members as the second highest issue within the AAP area. As a result this

will continue as one of Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP’s key priorities for

2012/2013.

Economic activity within the village is good, with a high percentage of residents in full

or part time employment. Although there was no feedback from livin’s consultation in

respect of the local economy and employment opportunities it is important to

recognise that there may be some residents within the village, who with help and

advice from livin and its partners, can benefit from enhanced employment prospects,

educational opportunities and increased financial confidence. This is particularly

important amongst residents aged 16 to 24 years and 50 years or over.

Census data indicates that residents within Aycliffe Village are employed in a wide

range of different occupations (Census 2001, LLSOA, KS12A, 012B).

Generally the occupations identified in the chart below are broadly comparable with

the averages indicated for Durham County excluding the higher percentage of

residents employed as Professionals, Managers or in Associated Professional and

Technical roles.

Over the past ten years the plant and machine processing industry has been one of

the hardest hit resulting in many large scale local employers such as Black and

The village has a high percentage of persons (38%) employed as Professionals,

Managers, or in Associate Professional and Technical roles when compared to

the rest of the Durham County (32.9%).

(Source: Census, 2001)

38

Decker, Thorn and Electrolux within Spennymoor relocating or ceasing to trade. As

the majority of residents within Aycliffe Village were not employed within this industry

it is expected that a good level of economic activity will have been maintained within

the village.

Figure 1.14: Occupation profile of 16 to 74 year olds in Aycliffe Village Source: Census, 2001, LLSOA KS12A, 012B

Economic inactivity was marginally lower when compared to the County average

(39.8%) with a total of 39.1% of the population not employed, and not actively

seeking work.

“Economic inactivity relates to persons aged 16 to 74 years who are not in

employment, or not actively seeking employment and available to start work within 2

weeks.” (Source: Census, 2001)

The number of residents that are retired (16.4%) within the village is higher than the

Durham County average of 14.8%. A lower percentage of persons (9.9%) were also

unable to work due to being permanently sick and / or disabled when compared to

the rest of the County (10.3%).

During the period 2008 to 2010, the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area saw an

increase in the percentage of residents aged 16 to 18, who are not in education,

employment or training (Connexions, 2011).

15

9

14

11

13

8 7

13

11

12 9

12 12 13

7 8

13 14

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Aycliffe Village

Durham County

39

Figure 1.15: Economic inactivity in Aycliffe Village Source: Census, 2001, LLSOA KS12A, 012B

Analysis of Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) data from March 2011

highlights that the Ward of Neville and Simpasture has a substantially higher

percentage of persons who have been claiming Jobseekers Allowance for up to 6

months (80.4%) when compared to the County

average (73.5%).

8% of residents were claiming Jobseekers Allowance

for a period of 12 months or more, this being slightly

lower than the Durham County average of 8.4%, but

substantially lower than the National average of

14.2%.

Longer term unemployment for a period of 6 to 12

months is substantially lower when compared to the Durham County average.

11.6% of residents have been claiming Jobseekers Allowance for a period of 6 to 12

months when compared to 18% throughout the rest of Durham County and 17.3% at

National level.

This low percentage of residents claiming Jobseekers Allowance for a period of 6 to

12 months has resulted in Aycliffe Village being ranked as GOLD. It is important to

note that the data used to compile this ranking relates to the Ward of Neville and

Simpasture, not Aycliffe Village alone. Full details of the methodology for this

ranking can be found in Appendix 2.

16.4

3.45

5.69

9.9

3.6

14.8

5.05 6.32

10.3

3.3

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

Retired Student Looking afterhome/family

Permanentlysick/disabled

Other

Aycliffe Village

Durham County

There are high

percentages of residents

claiming Jobseekers

Allowance for periods of

up to 6 months when

compared to the Durham

County averages.

40

The nearest Jobcentre Plus office can be found in neighbouring Newton Aycliffe.

Sustainable communities require high levels of economic activity; this can be

facilitated by a high percentage of the resident population being economically active.

Although longer term unemployment is low when compared to County and National

levels, it is important that local service providers work in partnership to proactively

identify and minimise the barriers to work experienced by residents who have

become unemployed within the last six months or 12 months or more.

During the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP forum event in November 2011, a

number of forum members highlighted a need for increased training and

apprenticeship opportunities for local residents in partnership with local businesses.

1.4.2 Jobseekers Allowance claimants During August 2010, there were a wide age range of persons that were claiming Jobseekers Allowance (DWP, 2010). The percentage of persons aged 25 to 49 years claiming Jobseekers Allowance (43%) was substantially lower than the County average of 52%. 43% of persons claiming Jobseekers Allowance were aged between 16 to 24 years;

this being substantially higher than the County average of 34%. The percentage of

persons aged 50 years or more (14%) is comparable with the Durham County

average of 14%.

This highlights a need for service providers to target all age groups but with specific

attention to 16 to 24 year olds when delivering future skills and training courses. It

is important that future skills and training courses targeted at these age groups will

help the individual to meet their training needs and gain sustainable employment.

There is a need to

provide help and

support for residents

aged between 16 to 24

years to help them into

employment.

41

Figure 1.16: Jobseeker Allowance claimants in Aycliffe Village Source: DWP, August 2010

To help reduce unemployment in a community it may be necessary to provide

opportunities that allow residents to retrain and learn new skills that will enable them

to enter new industries and gain sustainable employment. Alternatively there may

be a need for increased opportunities for school leavers and younger residents to

obtain work placements in a business environment; this can help them gain the skills

and experience required to obtain sustainable future employment. livin recognises

the need for enhancing employment opportunities and is currently developing an

economic sustainability strategy to help provide training and employment

opportunities in its local communities. The strategy will also incorporate the “livin

Futures” partnership programme which has been established to provide

apprenticeships opportunities.

1.4.3 Department for Works and Pensions key benefit claimants

During August 2010, the total percentage of residents claiming a key DWP out of

work benefit is comparable with the Durham County average of 20%. The majority

of residents in Aycliffe Village claiming a key benefit were in receipt of Incapacity

Benefit (9%); this is slightly lower than the County average of 10%.

These figures are comparative with the intelligence contained in Section 1.6 which

indicates the general health of the population within Aycliffe Village to be broadly

comparable when compared to the rest of the County.

43.00 43.00

14.00

34.00

52.00

14.00

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

Claimants Aged 16-24 Claimants Aged 25-49 Claimants Aged 50 andOver

Aycliffe Village

Durham County

42

Figure 1.17: Breakdown of persons residing in Aycliffe Village claiming key DWP benefits Source: DWP, August 2010

1.4.4 Household income

During 2001/2002 estimates of mean weekly household income (gross) in the Ward

area of Neville and Simpasture was £30 per week lower than the North East average

of £410 (ONS, 2005). Data collection limitations have restricted further detailed

analysis of this information to Aycliffe Village only.

Based on this intelligence Aycliffe Village has been

ranked as BRONZE for average household income.

It is important to note that the data used to compile

this ranking relates to the Ward of Neville and

Simpasture, not Aycliffe Village alone. Full details

of the methodology for this ranking can be found in

Appendix 2.

Recent data obtained by DCC, for the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area also

indicates a higher than average level of household income. The average level of

household income within the AAP area is estimated to be £32,038, this is nearly

£1,500 more than the Durham County average of £30,614 (CACI, 2011: DCC).

Although residents raised no specific concerns during consultation about levels of

household income livin recognises that the effects of the recession and current

economic downturn will be felt by a number of households within its local

communities.

4.0

9.0

2.0 2.0

1.0 1.0 1.0 4.0

10.0

2.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 0.0

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

JobSeekers

IncapacityBenefits

LoneParent

Carer Others onIncomeRelatedBenefits

Disabled Bereaved

Aycliffe Village

Durham County

During 2001 the weekly

household income in the

Ward of Neville and

Simpasture was £30

lower than the North East

average.

43

1.4.5 Vehicle ownership and cost of travel In 2001, only 24.96% of households in Aycliffe Village did not own a car or van; this

being substantially lower than the County average of 31.4%. 51.78% of households

owned one car or van, and the remaining 23.26% owned two or more cars or vans

(Census, 2001, LLSOA, KS17, 012B). The 2001 census also indicated that 61.35%

of residents in Aycliffe Village travel to work driving a car or van (Census, 2001,

LLSOA, KS15, 012B).

Although levels of vehicle ownership may have altered since 2001, the rising cost of

fuel and other related costs will now have a significant impact on vehicle usage,

particularly amongst low income households. Low levels of vehicle ownership and

restricted use can affect residents’ lifestyles by restricting access to services and

facilities outside of the local area.

During consultation although residents did not highlight a need for travel out of the

village for access to shopping, health, education and employment it should be noted

that this travel will be required for this community. This reliance on travel outside of

the local area will place an increased need on a reliable public transport system for

households that do not own their own vehicle. The absence of a reliable and

functional public transport service in a community has the potential to see many

residents become isolated and detached from obtaining specialist services, whilst

also restricting their ability to gain sustainable employment.

Residents feel that that the village provides access to public transport and is well

served by a number of buses routes that stop within the village but did raise issues

regarding frequency, reliability and easy access for all the community to reach the

stopping points.

44

1.4.6 Rental debit in livin properties

To assess the rent payments made by tenants within livin properties in Aycliffe

Village an analysis and comparison of livin’s rental debit figures for 2009/2010 and

2010/2011 have been used.

For the financial year 2009/2010, the total rental debit charge (rent charged for all of

livin’s properties in Aycliffe Village) was £157,011. At the end of this financial year

there were £1,456 outstanding arrears (unpaid rent).

For the financial year 2010/2011 the total rental debit charge was £160,712. At the

end of this financial year there were £1,261 outstanding arrears.

Based on the unpaid rental debit charge of 0.78% for the financial year 2010/2011,

Aycliffe Village has been ranked as GOLD. Full details of the methodology for this

ranking can be found in Appendix 2.

Key Economic Characteristics:

During 2001, economic activity within the village was 60.9%; this is comparable

with the Durham County average.

39.1% of residents in 2001 were not in employment, and not actively seeking

work. 9.9% of residents were economically inactive due to being permanently

sick or disabled; this is lower than the Durham County average.

In 2001, 38% of residents in Aycliffe Village were employed in professional,

professional associate and technical or management roles. This is higher

than the Durham County average of 32.9%.

24% of residents were employed in elementary, process, plant and machinery

roles this being lower than the Durham County average.

During March 2011, the percentage of residents claiming Jobseekers

Allowance for up to 6 months was higher than the County average.

The percentage of persons aged 16 to 24 years claiming jobseekers

allowance is significantly higher when compared to County average.

During 2001/2002 the weekly household income estimate was £30 less than

the North East average of £410.00. Levels of household income for the Great

Aycliffe and Middridge AAP are estimated to be higher than the Durham County

average.

45

Since 2009, livin have introduced and promoted a number of different payment

options to make paying rent as easy and accessible as possible for tenants. These

include Direct Debit or the option to pay their rent via payment card. Payment cards

can be accepted at over 60 local outlets (including Post Offices) wherever the

“Paypoint” sign is displayed. There are a number of outlets in neighbouring Shildon

or Newton Aycliffe that accept “Paypoint” payments.

Although there were no specific comments made by residents during consultation

events livin is aware that the rising level of housing costs and the current economic

climate has the potential to increase the level of debt for many households.

What does this mean for livin?

The village of Aycliffe Village can generally be classed as an affluent community with

high property prices and a high percentage of residents employed in management

and professional roles. However, it is important to recognise that although affluence

within Aycliffe Village as a whole is good there may be specific residents, who with

help and advice from livin and its partners, can benefit from enhanced employment

prospects and increase financial confidence.

The effects of the recession and current economic downturn are being felt by a large

number of households within livin’s local communities. As a result livin must be

mindful that its tenants and local residents will potentially need support through these

financial difficulties. This could mean signposting tenants and residents to debt

management and financial inclusion support agencies.

livin must be aware of the contribution made by partners in supporting residents and

tenants to gain new skills and employment, and increase their economic wellbeing.

It must support local community organisations that offer these services by ensuring

their resources are fully utilised by local residents and that their existence is widely

publicised throughout the local area. When publicising local services and resources

it is important that appropriate methods of communication are utilised. Mosaic profile

data for the community highlights that the majority of households within the village

are more likely to access information and services through direct face to face

contact, or through local papers, and magazines. Potentially around 20% of

households in the village are likely to access local services through the telephone,

internet or interactive television.

The outstanding rent due at the end of 2009/2010 was £1,456, at the end of the

financial year 2010/2011 this reduced to £1,261, a reduction of £195.

46

As part of its ongoing commitment to improving economic sustainability within its

communities, livin has appointed an employability coordinator to help develop and

implement its approach to tackling employability issues, and established the “livin

Futures” programme which provides opportunities for training apprenticeships and

employment.

livin will also be required to understand the barriers to employment experienced by

local residents and tenants and assess the level of support it can offer. It is evident

from the analysis that any employability work undertaken by livin within the

community must help reduce the number of persons claiming Jobseekers Allowance,

with extra emphasis being placed on residents aged 16 to 24 years.

1.5 Access to Services and Facilities

Health services

There is no access to health based services within Aycliffe Village. Access to a GP

surgery or Dentist surgery requires residents to travel to the neighbouring

settlements of Newton Aycliffe, Shildon or Darlington. Access to specialist

healthcare for children can also be found at the One Point Hub and SureStart

Children’s Centre in Newton Aycliffe. There is also no access to a local pharmacy

within Aycliffe Village, with the nearest again being located in neighbouring Newton

Aycliffe or Darlington.

Retail services

Retail services within the village are very limited. There are two public houses and a

hotel offering real ales, food and accommodation. To obtain grocery shopping, or for

more specialised goods and services residents are required to travel out of the

village to neighbouring Newton Aycliffe or Darlington.

Feedback from residents highlights that there was previously a shop located within

the village. However, due to low demand this facility was closed. There is general

consensus from the majority of residents that livin spoke to that it would not be

feasible to maintain a local shop or convenience store within the village due to many

residents tending to travel to nearby Newton Aycliffe or Darlington for their grocery

shopping.

Although livin own a number of retail and commercial units in neighbouring towns

and village there are none located within Aycliffe Village.

Aycliffe Village is small with limited services and amenities.

47

Community services and facilities

Although there is no resident library within the village, DCC provides a fortnightly

mobile library that can be utilised by residents.

There are no active tenants or residents groups that are supported by livin in Aycliffe

Village.

At Andrews Church is the only place of worship located close to Aycliffe Village.

Aycliffe Village Hall

In 1897, Aycliffe Village Hall was built and named ‘The Aycliffe Village Diamond

Jubilee School’.

The Village Hall, which is located on Durham Road within the Village, is well utilised

by a number of local groups and clubs for health, education and social related

activities. The groups include the Woman’s Institute, The Scouts and the Local

History Society.

During livin’s consultation no residents commented upon the use or activities held

within the Village Hall but it is clear that the Hall is utilised for the good of the

community.

Services and facilities for children and young persons

There is a well maintained play area located between Millfields and Atkinson

Gardens, which is maintained by Great Aycliffe Town Council. The play area has a

range of play equipment and a grassed playing field. This is the only facility for

children and young persons located within the village.

Although there are a number of youth based activities in Newton Aycliffe, Shildon

and Darlington, there is only the opportunity for young people to join and be an

active part of the Scout movement that meets within the Village Hall. Outside of this

activity there is a requirement for youths to travel out of the local area to access after

school and weekend activities. There are County Council ran leisure centre’s also

located within these towns, providing access to a swimming pool and fitness facilities

at Newton Aycliffe, and fitness facilities and outdoor athletics track at Shildon.

There are a number of established sporting clubs in the surrounding settlements for

youths to access, although access to transport is required. There are a number of

local boxing, cricket, football, and sporting clubs located in Newton Aycliffe.

During livin’s consultation event there were no comments about the lack of facilities

and activities for children and young persons within the village. However, it was also

48

highlighted that there is only a small population of children and young persons living

within the village, therefore limiting the level of demand for youth related activities.

During 2011/2012, one of the key priorities for the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP,

as voted for by Forum members, was the provision of “Activities for young people”.

At the 2011 AAP Forum event “Activities for young people” was again voted by forum

members to be most the important priority for the AAP to tackle. As a result this will

remain a key priority for the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP throughout

2012/2013.

There is nursery facilities and access to preschool and primary education within

Aycliffe Village. Both the nursery and school are located on the same site on North

Terrace. Alternatively these facilities can be found at nearby Newton Aycliffe which

will require access to either public or private transport. Residents can also access

childcare at the local SureStart centre in Newton Aycliffe.

Technology, communication and access to services

The village is currently served by a broadband Internet connection. The cost

implications of a broadband internet connection within the home may prove

unaffordable for some households. Free internet access is available at the libraries

in Newton Aycliffe and Darlington.

For residents able to access the internet the village has a website which is a

valuable resource for identifying community activities and reading about the local

history.

The village receives a local free paper, the Newton News, providing local community

based news and information to local residents.

Mosaic profile data indicates that the majority of households within the

neighbourhood are likely to access information and services through direct face to

face contact or through local papers. Only households in Group E which is likely to

be 16.45% of households in the village are likely to access information through the

internet or interactive television. Households in both Groups D and E are more likely

to access information through the use of the telephone.

Households in profile Groups B, J and L are more likely to access local services

through direct face to face contact. This equates to more than two thirds (70.64%) of

households in the village. Households in Group L, consisting of active elderly

persons, are unlikely to access local services through the internet, telephone or

mobile phone.

Households in Groups D and E, equating to 28.06% of total households in the

village, are more likely to access local services through the internet, telephone, or

mobile telephone. These Groups are unlikely to access local services through direct,

face to face contact.

49

Apart from households in Group L, consisting of active elderly persons, the

remaining household groups within the village have an average to high likelihood to

self-serve (i.e. help themselves, or access services on their own behalf).

Households in Group L have a very low likelihood of self-service.

Public transport

A recent survey of residents living within the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area

indicated that 69% were satisfied with public transport; this being the fourth lowest

levels of satisfaction throughout the County (DCC, 2010). However, feedback from

livin’s consultation event found concerns from residents about access to public

transport within the village including frequency, location of bus stops and reliability.

The village is served by a bus service that run regular services to places such as;

Bishop Auckland, Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Peterlee.

Access to train transport can be found at nearby Newton Aycliffe or Durham and

Darlington stations.

Greener living

There is an allotment site situated off Bickford Terrace and Heighington Street. The

16 plots are intended to be used to grow fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers.

Although livin owns a number of garden sites in other areas there are none located

within Aycliffe Village.

During consultation there were no comments from residents relating to healthy

eating or greener living.

Key Services Characteristics:

Aycliffe Village has very limited access to public services and amenities.

There is no access to public health care within the village.

There is a need for residents to travel out of the area for shopping, specialised

goods or services, employment, education, and youth activities.

There is a Village Hall is currently utilised by a number of local groups.

The village has a play area with play equipment and small grassed play field.

This is the only sporting and recreational facility within the village.

Residents commented that the public transport service from the village can

sometimes be unreliable and infrequent, however, the service does provide

access to a number of towns and cities.

Local village history and ongoing and forth coming events can be found online.

The Newton News is the local free newspaper for the area.

50

What does this mean for livin?

livin needs to be aware of the positive impact that local services and service

providers can have on sustaining local communities. livin must also understand the

pressures that local communities are under as a result of service cuts, and work in

partnership with organisations such as DCC to ensure that the effects of any service

reductions are minimal and that tenants, residents and service providers are aware

of their implications.

Limited retail services and restricted access to healthcare and educational

establishment places an increased need on a reliable and accessible public transport

service that provides easy access to the neighbouring towns of Newton Aycliffe and

Darlington.

It is important to recognise that any potential future reductions in current services or

routes has the potential to not only increase the barriers to employment experienced

by livin tenants and local residents, but will also restrict vital access to supermarkets,

education, sporting facilities and healthcare.

There are limited youth related activities within the village, which may result in the

requirement for youths to travel out of the area to access after school and weekend

activities. Within any community there should be a good provision of youth based

activities that will actively encourage engagement and participation in health and

social related activities. However, demand for youth based activities and facilities

with the village are reported to be low. This highlights opportunities for livin to work

closely with DCC, Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP, and other local community

organisations to ensure that the children and young persons living within Aycliffe

Village are actively encouraged, and have the opportunity to access youth

engagement services in neighbouring Newton Aycliffe.

Participation and community involvement are key components of a sustainable

community making it important that livin considers it ability to promote, support and

help develop opportunities for volunteering within Aycliffe Village.

It is important that any promotion or publicity around raising awareness of local

services and facilities that can be accessed by residents is appropriate to their

communication preferences. Mosaic profile data indicates that the majority of

households within the village are more likely to access information and services

through direct face to face contact, or through indirect contact via post, local papers,

and magazines. The percentage of households that are likely to use the internet to

access information and services is expected to be lower.

51

1.6 Health and Well Being

The general level of health in Aycliffe Village is broadly comparable with that of the

County as a whole (Census, 2001, LLSOA, KS08,

012B). The total percentage of persons in “Good”

general health is 1%% lower than the County

average. The percentage of residents who

indicated that they were in “Not Good” general

health is 0.60% higher when compared to the

County average.

A recent survey completed by DCC (Residents Survey, 2010) highlighted that within

the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area, 77% of residents regarded their health

as either good or very good. This is higher when compared to the rest of Durham

County (74%).

2001 Census data indicates that 20.14% of persons of working age suffer from a

limiting long term illness (Census, 2001, LLSOA, KS08, 012B). This is marginally

higher than the County average of 19.8%.

“A limiting long-term illness covers any long-term illness, health problem or disability

that limits daily activities or work. Working age is defined as persons aged between

16 to 64 years inclusive for men and 16 to 59 years inclusive for women.”

(Census 2001)

Figure 1.18: Levels of health within Aycliffe Village Source: Census, 2001, LLSOA, KS08, 012B

61.6

24.6

13.8

62.6

24.2

13.2

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

General health:Good

General health:Fairly good

General health:Not good

Aycliffe Village

Durham County

During 2001, the number

of persons in “Not Good”

health in Aycliffe Village

was 0.60% higher than the

County average.

52

The percentage of Incapacity Benefit claimants within the village is lower than

average. During 2010, only 9% of residents in Aycliffe Village that were claiming a

key DWP benefit were claiming incapacity benefit (DWP, 2010). This is 1% lower

than the Durham County average although it is 2% higher than the national average.

Mosaic profile data for the village finds that households in Groups B and J,

consisting of residents with strong local roots, and owner occupiers in older style

housing have an “average” likelihood of being a smoker. This total is likely to be

more than 50% of households located within the village. It is expected that

households in the profile Groups E and L consisting of middle income families and

active elderly persons, have a low likelihood of being smokers. Successful

professionals in Group D are expected to have a very low likelihood of being

smokers.

Compared to national figures the level of health related deprivation within the Great

Aycliffe and Middridge AAP is high. The 2010 Indices of Deprivation highlights that

37.0% of residents living within the AAP area are deemed to be in the top 10%

nationally deprived. This percentage is higher when compared to the Durham

County average where 27.5% of residents are deemed to be in the top 10%

nationally deprived (CLG, 2010). It is however important to remember that this data

relates to the areas of Newton Aycliffe, Aycliffe Village, and part of School Aycliffe,

not Aycliffe Village alone. Therefore the varying levels of deprivation within each of

the electoral wards within the AAP area will have an impact on the overall level of

deprivation in the area, and may not be a true reflection of Aycliffe Village alone.

To access health services residents must travel to neighbouring Newton Aycliffe,

Darlington or Shildon. Access to a pharmacy is also restricted, with the nearest

being found in Newton Aycliffe. Access to hospitals and specialist healthcare can be

found at Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool and Stockton, all requiring access to

transport.

The nearest hospitals are located at Bishop Auckland, Durham and Darlington,

although Bishop Auckland does not provide access to Accident and Emergency

Services. Access to hospital services within 30 minutes, for residents living within

Aycliffe Village is deemed to be good when walking, using public transport, or

cycling. However, 100% of residents living within Aycliffe Village are deemed to be

able to access a hospital within 30 minutes when travelling by car (NHS Choices,

2009).

Mosaic profile data indicates that emergency hospital admissions are expected to be

higher in households in profile Group L, consisting of active elderly residents. This

being approximately 16.77% of the total households living within Aycliffe Village.

There is no access to health services within the village.

53

Emergency admissions for households in Groups, B, D, E and J are expected to be

low to average.

Access to family related support services can be found in neighbouring Newton

Aycliffe or Shildon. The newly created One Point service hub which is located in

Burn Lane, Newton Aycliffe, offers a one stop shop approach with staff from Durham

County Council, the local Health Authority and others family related service

providers. Residents can also access the existing SureStart Children’s Centre in

Newton Aycliffe or Shildon. The Centre provides a number of health based services

including advice and support on adopting a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating and

nutrition for children and families, and access to health visitors and other health

related professionals.

During livin’s consultation residents commented upon the need to travel out of the

village for access to health related services but commented on how good they

believed these services to be.

There are no purpose built leisure facilities within Aycliffe Village; to access sporting

facilities residents are required to travel outside of the village to leisure centres at

neighbouring Shildon or Newton Aycliffe.

When asked about the provision of health related facilities and activities within

Aycliffe Village residents raised no issues about the lack of activities and facilities for

children and young persons. There is a play area located within the village which is

owned and maintained by the Great Aycliffe Town Council. The area is located

between Millfields and Atkinson Gardens and offers a number of different types of

play equipment together with football and basketball facilities.

There are also a number of footpaths around the village for residents and visitors to

use for recreational purposes.

The Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) is a local charity whose aim is to improve

people’s health and wellbeing. The charity is responsible for running the Pioneering

Care Centre in neighbouring Newton Aycliffe and provides a number of outreach

projects in local communities across County Durham and Darlington.

There is an allotment site situated off Bickford Terrace and Heighington Street. The

16 plots are intended to be used to grow fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers.

Although livin owns a number of garden sites in other areas there are none located

within Aycliffe Village.

54

What does this mean for livin?

There has been a long established connection between health and housing. As a

result of the Government’s Health Reform proposals a stronger role will emerge for

livin to act in partnership with local health providers to improve the health and

wellbeing of tenants and their families. As a “frontline” service provider livin has

privileged access to tenants and their families. This can provide the potential for

signposting to health related services and enable targeted actions that can help

enhance health levels within a community. Good levels of health can also have

positive effects on educational achievement and can help increase employment

levels.

There are already reasonable levels of health within Aycliffe Village. It is important

that livin utilises involvement and interaction with tenants and their families to

maintain and even enhance health levels. There may be a number of local and

national projects that livin can support that will link to the preventative health agenda;

making it critical that livin works in partnership with other local health based

stakeholders to ensure maximum use of resources. It is important that health related

activities and facilities within a community and surrounding areas are accessible and

affordable by all.

Key Health Characteristics:

During 2001, general levels of health in were broadly comparable when

compared to the County average.

20.14% of “working age” residents are suffering from a limiting long term

illness. This is marginally higher than the Durham County average.

There is no access to health services within the village. The nearest are

located within Newton Aycliffe, Darlington and Shildon requiring access to

transport.

There is no access to health based facilities and activities. Residents must

travel out of the area for access to leisure centres and gyms.

There is a play area within the village; this is the only outdoor recreational

facility for children.

55

1.7 Education and Training

Levels of educational attainment for residents are broadly

comparable within Aycliffe Village when compared to the

Durham County average (Census, 2001, LLSOA, KS13,

012B).

The percentage of residents attaining a level 1 (17.3%)

qualification is marginally higher than the Durham County average of 17.0%. The

percentage of residents attaining qualifications at level 2 (19.1%) is again marginally

higher when compared to the Durham County average (18.1%).

Level 1 qualifications include 1+'O' level passes; 1+ CSE/GCSE any grades; NVQ

level 1; or Foundation level GNVQ. Level 2 qualifications include 5+GCSEs (grades

A-C); 1+ 'A' levels/'AS' levels; NVQ level 2; or Intermediate GNVQ.

Based on 19.1% of residents attaining level 2 qualifications (5+ GCSEs A-C grades)

Aycliffe Village has been ranked as Gold for educational attainment. Full details of

the methodology for this ranking can be found in Appendix 2.

Figure 1.19: Educational attainment within Aycliffe Village Source: Census, 2001, LLSOA, KS13, 012B

6.6% of residents hold qualifications at level 3; this being lower than the County

average of 7.4%. Level 3 qualifications are necessary for advancement into

University, higher education or professional qualifications and include 2+ 'A' levels;

4+ 'AS' levels; NVQ level 3; or an Advanced GNVQ.

35.5

17.3 19.1

6.6

14.4

7.2

36.0

17.0 18.1

7.4 14.5

7.1 0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

Aycliffe Village

Durham County

2001 census data

indicates that 35.5%

of residents have no

qualifications.

56

There is also a comparable percentage of residents (14.4%) that hold qualifications

at levels 4/5 when compared to the rest of Durham County (14.5%). A level 4/5

qualification is equivalent to a First Degree, Higher Degree, NVQ levels 4 and 5,

HNC, HND, or professional qualifications including qualified teacher, medical doctor,

dentist, nurse, midwife, or health visitor.

Mosaic profile data for the village highlights that households within Groups D and E,

successful professional livin in suburban or semi-rural homes, and middle income

families living in moderate suburban semis are more likely to be educated to degree

level. There is a very low likelihood of households in Groups J, L and B consisting of

owner occupiers in older style housing, active elderly persons and residents of small

and mid-sized towns with strong local roots being educated to degree level.

The 2010 Indices of Deprivation indicates that in relation to education, 16.1% of

residents living in the Great Aycliffe and Middridge AAP area are deemed to be in

the top 10% nationally deprived (CLG, 2010). This is comparable to the Durham

County average where only 15.3% of residents are deemed to be in the top 10%

nationally deprived. It is however important to remember that this data relates to the

areas of Newton Aycliffe, Aycliffe Village, and part of School Aycliffe, not Aycliffe

Village alone. Therefore the varying levels of deprivation within each of the electoral

wards within the AAP area will have an impact on the overall level of deprivation in

the area, and may not be a true reflection of Aycliffe Village alone.

Aycliffe Village has access to a nursery and Primary School located within Aycliffe

Village. The ‘House of Eden Day Nursery’ is an Ofsted registered Pre-School

Nursery, out of school club and a holiday club thus providing wrap- around care for

school aged children and nursery places for youngsters. The Aycliffe Village Primary

School has approximately 120 pupils of mixed gender. The pupils range from ages 4

to 11 and the most recent Ofsted inspection the school received a ‘GOOD’ report.

Both the Nursery and the Primary School are at the same location site within the

village. Outside of the village the closest to the community is Aycliffe Old Town

where there are six educational establishments offering nursery and primary

education. Out of the six establishments there are five primary schools and two of

these have nursery provision. There is Sugar Hill Primary School that provides

education for approximately 415 pupils and has provision for a nursery. This school

during their last OFSTED inspection received a “GOOD “report. There is Woodham

Burn Community Primary School providing learning for approximately 260 pupils and

their recent OFSTED inspection they received a “SATISFACTORY” report.

There is access to a nursery and primary school within the village

57

Stephenson Way Community Primary School accommodating close to 350 pupils

with nursery provision and a report of “SATISFATORY” at their last OFSTED

inspection. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School also received

a “SATISFACTORY” report catering for around 170 pupils but does not have nursery

provision. The remaining primary school is Vane Road Primary School that can hold

around 335 pupils and received their latest OFSTED report as “GOOD”.

The nearest secondary educational establishments can be found at Woodham

Community College; that has close to 830 pupils aged between 11 to 18 and their

most recent OFSTED inspection they received a “GOOD” report and Greenfield

Community College which achieved an OFSTED report of “SATISFACTORY” at their

latest inspection and accommodates approximately 770 pupils from 11 to 16 years of

age.

There are no faith schools located within Aycliffe Village with the nearest being at St

Francis Church of England Aided Junior and St Joseph’s RC Aided Primary within

Aycliffe New Town. To follow this path of education the nearest “faith” secondary

school is St John’s Catholic School and Sixth form centre in Bishop Auckland.

The nearest further education colleges are located at Bishop Auckland, Durham and

Darlington; again all requiring access to public or private transport.

There is also no SureStart provision within the village. The nearest Children’s Centre

can be found within Aycliffe Old Town on Stephenson Way. The centre provides

access to information, help and support, together with access to preschool education

and day care for local families with children under the age of five.

The Local Learning Partnership (LLP) is a partnership of local centres and learning

providers which aims to provide learning opportunities to residents within the local

area. The LLP’s for Newton Aycliffe and neighbouring Shildon offer a range of non-

accredited and accredited courses ranging from DIY, music and performing arts to

exercise and healthy eating in various community venues, including Community

Centres, and Children’s Centres. There are also a number of courses and activities

provided at the local Community Colleges in both Newton Aycliffe and Shildon.

Within Aycliffe Old Town courses are currently operated from the Newton Aycliffe

Community Learning Centre, Newton Aycliffe Library, the Youth Centre, Children’s

Centre and Woodham Technology College.

In partnership with Bishop Auckland College, Newton Aycliffe Community Learning

Centre provides a number of educational courses, including access to basic skills,

first aid course, computer courses and Work Clubs. The PCC, located in Aycliffe

New Town, also provides free confidential advice and guidance to anyone who is

currently unemployed and looking to return to volunteering, training or employment,

and provides a range of community based learning courses.

58

During livin’s consultation event no residents made any comments with regard to the

provision of community based learning courses.

At the 2011 AAP Forum event “Employment, Enterprise, Education and Training”

was voted one of the three most important priorities for the AAP to tackle by the local

community. As a result this will be a key priority for the Great Aycliffe and Middridge

AAP throughout 2012/2013.

livin is aware of the potential need for an increased provision of training, skills based

and educational courses within its local communities. As a result of the current

economic crisis and increased competition for employment opportunities there may be a need for

increased support and advice services that can help local residents secure future long term

employment or enable them to enter further or higher education.

What does this mean for livin?

Education is a cornerstone of a sustainable community as it will promote financial

inclusion and help increase economic activity.

It is likely that at least 35.5% of residents have no formal educational qualifications.

Although livin cannot play a direct role in the provision of education there may be

opportunities to link with local education and training providers such as Children’s

Centres, local schools, and colleges, Newton Aycliffe Community Learning Centre

and the Local Learning Partnerships to help increase educational opportunities for its

tenants and local residents.

Key Education Characteristics:

In 2001, 35.5% of residents held no formal educational qualifications; this is

broadly comparable to the Durham County average.

19.1% of residents have attained qualifications at level 2 (5+ GCSE’s grades A-C

or equivalent).

14.4% of residents are educated to Degree or Professional level. This is

comparable with the Durham County average.

There is access to a Nursery and Primary School educational establishments

within Aycliffe Village. Access to secondary education requires residents to

travel to nearby Newton Aycliffe.

Access to further and higher education colleges, or university requires

access to public or private transport.

There are limited community based learning opportunities available within the

village, with residents being required to travel to neighbouring Newton Aycliffe to

access a wider range of opportunities.

59

It is also important that livin work in close partnership with local primary and

secondary schools to help increase educational attainment, inspire confidence and

raise the aspirations of the children and young persons within its communities.

Opportunities for community training and employment courses is limited within the

village, with residents being required to travel to neighbouring Newton Aycliffe or

Shildon to access these services. Intelligence also highlights that residents aged 16

to 24 and 50 years or older find it difficult to access employment.

This highlights opportunities for livin, and other educational providers to explore the

feasibility of providing training and educational opportunities for residents within the

village.

1.8 Reputation of the Local Area and Community Cohesion

To increase sustainability within an area it is important that the neighbourhood is

seen as a good place to live with high levels of community cohesion. Feedback

gained from livin’s consultation event indicates that Aycliffe Village is generally

perceived to be a pleasant and quiet place to live.

A poor reputation for an area can last for many

years and remain regardless of significant

changes and improvements to social, economic

and environmental factors. A reputation even if it

is a perception, can have a detrimental effect on

housing demand. It can also tarnish the

reputation of the local community and that of the

RP’s providing social housing within the

community.

What does this mean to livin?

It is important that as the main provider of social housing within Aycliffe Village, livin

understands its role as “place maker” within the community. livin is aware that to

increase the reputation of a community and to enhance community cohesion the

involvement of local residents and other service providers (including other RP’s) is

paramount.

To enable the success of this Community Plan and the achievement of the Local

Offers it is important that local residents and community groups play an important

role. The involvement of the local community when determining key priorities and

delivering Local Offers can help empower local residents to make a difference in

their local communities, and develop partnership working to improve the overall

reputation of the neighbourhood and enhance community cohesion.

“Good community spirit,

people are friendly.”

Resident from Aycliffe Village

60

1.9 Local Environment

There was very little environmental feedback received from residents during livin’s

consultation event. Public open spaces within the village are well maintained, and

generally free from litter and dog faeces.

Great Aycliffe Town Council is responsible for a

number of environmental services within the village,

including grass cutting, trees and green maintenance,

provision of litter and dog fouling bins that are either on

Council parks or open spaces. The Council is also

responsible for the provision and maintenance of the

village bus shelter, parish paths and the local

children’s play area.

Resident’s comments during consultation raised no concerns over the local

environment.

On the 9 January 2012 an Environmental Assessment of Aycliffe Village was

conducted by members of livin’s Communities Team. The Assessment was

completed by assessing a number of environmental indicators at a designated

“stopping” point on a pre-determined route through the village.

At the designated stopping point a number of environmental indicators were

assessed and a number of points awarded. During the assessment the village was

found to be clean, tidy and well maintained. There was no evidence of litter, fly

tipping or dog faeces in public areas and the issues raised found related to uneven

and cracked road surface together with a need to trim some tree and bushes.

Properties within the vicinity of the stopping point were well maintained with tidy

gardens. Based on the points awarded at the pre-determined stopping point, the

village scored a total value of 31.

As a result the overall condition of Aycliffe Village has been ranked as GOLD. The

full methodology relating to the Environmental Assessment can be found in Appendix

2.

“The village looks

nice and is a nice

place to live and

walk round.”

Resident from Aycliffe

Village

61

Figure 1.20: Route of Environmental Assessment

What does this mean for livin?

A high Environmental Assessment scoring and Gold ranking is a good result for

Aycliffe Village. It means that the village does not require intensive support and may

only require targeted work in specific hotspots area.

62

However, it is important that livin ensure that future Environmental Assessments

within Aycliffe Village are conducted at appropriate intervals to ensure the village is

able to maintain this high ranking.

63

Based on the information contained within this Community Plan livin has been able

to identify and assess a number of key strengths and challenges that are being faced

by residents living in Aycliffe Village.

To improve the levels of sustainability within this community it is important that key

strengths are maintained; together with conscientious efforts being made by livin,

other community stakeholders and local residents to address and reduce identified

challenges.

Taking into account these challenges livin has developed two key priorities for the

community:

The development of these key priorities and the creation of realistic Local Offers that

can be used by livin, community stakeholders and local residents to address and

achieve them will enable the maximisation of internal and external resources

available throughout the community.

Intelligence contained within this Community Plan highlights that residents living

within the village utilise the services and facilities provided in the neighbouring towns

of Newton Aycliffe, Shildon and potentially Darlington. There is also low demand for

specific services, such as youth engagement, access to training and retail services,

and there are currently good levels of health in the village. Therefore a number of

the actions proposed by livin will be delivered in the areas of Newton Aycliffe and

Shildon with encouragement and participation opportunities provided for residents

within Aycliffe Village.

Develop a partnership approach to reducing barriers to work and increasing

employment opportunities for local residents, specifically those aged 16 to 24

years, and 50 years and over (including supporting the provision of local skills

and training courses in Newton Aycliffe and Shildon).

Help to influence and maintain services in the local area that benefit the needs

of residents.

Section 2 Community Priorities

64

The original actions contained within this Community Plan were revised in March

2013.

Based on what livin has learnt from your community, and our work with local partners

we have now developed a set of Local Offers for Aycliffe Village. The Local Offers

have taken into account the original actions from the community plan and the views

of the community obtained through consultation, leading to a new set of standards

and actions aimed at supporting and benefiting your area. Delivery of the local offers

will be monitored by livin tenants.

A copy of livin’s local offers for Aycliffe Village can be found on our website at

www.livin.co.uk.

This main Community Plan will be revised in 2014.

Section 3 Review of the Community Plan

65

APPENDIX 1

livin STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

&

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

66

livin Strategic Framework

livin’s role as a Registered Provider of social housing extends beyond managing

houses. This has been identified within livin’s Corporate Plan for 2012-2015 which

highlights the importance of improving the economic viability of local communities,

followed by social factors such as health and education, and enhancing the local

environment.

As such livin is focused on supporting the development of sustainable communities

for the current and future generation of residents. This is articulated through the

organisation’s vision, mission and personality which are;

Mission “working with the community at heart”

Vision “sustaining and growing safe, cohesive and vibrant communities through

excellent customer services”

Personality “Caring, supportive, helpful and community orientated”

It is acknowledged that livin can play a key role in contributing to the delivery of

sustainable communities. By developing strong and coordinated partnership working

with residents and key stakeholders livin will develop strategies to tackle:

Economic Factors - addressing economic viability of communities by helping

people to improve their financial circumstances, become less dependent on

benefits, positively address employability and increase financial confidence.

Social Factors – addressing social wellbeing, community cohesion and health

inequalities by improving health and wellbeing, secure access to further

opportunities and develop their aspirations.

Environmental Factors – addressing environmental quality and sustainability by

enhancing the setting of homes and promoting and supporting green initiatives in

communities.

During April 2011, livin introduced the “Your Voice, Local Choice”, Local Offer

document to ensure that “the right services are delivered in the right place for the

right people”. The Local Offer is a list of ten pledges that livin has made to tenants in

order to deliver key priorities. Full details of the pledges contained in livin’s Local

Offer can be found on the website at livin.co.uk or alternatively a copy can be

requested by contacting livin on 0845 505 5500 or 0300 111 2234 (low rate from a

mobile depending on network).

67

In addition to helping livin work towards sustaining and growing safe, cohesive, and

vibrant communities the Community Plans will play an important role in shaping and

articulating the Local Offer to tenants. They are the delivery mechanism for the

pledges contained within the Offer and will enable livin, community stakeholders and

local residents to tailor services and resources to the specific needs of each

individual community and enhance local service delivery. This relationship is

illustrated in the diagram below:

The development and implementation of the Community Plans represents a strategic

change in livin’s approach to supporting the sustainability of its communities and will

help deliver the corporate improvement themes of “Customer Focussed Services”

and “Efficient Assets” by:

improving lives, neighbourhoods and communities

improving customer involvement and empowerment, and

increasing the sustainability of tenancies and homes

Local Offer

Established guiding principles

Locality 1

Byers Green

Kirk Merrington

Middlestone Moor

Spennymoor Town

Locality 2

Dean Bank

Ferryhill Village &

Cleves Cross

West Cornforth

Bishop Middleham

Chilton & Chilton Lane

Locality 3

Trimdon Village

Trimdon Grange

Trimdon Colliery

Fishburn

Sedgefield

Locality 4

Shildon

Middridge

Locality 5

Aycliffe Old Town

Aycliffe New Town

Aycliffe Village

Community Plan Strategy

68

The Plans will be utilised to inform and enhance livin’s strategic planning and asset

management framework whilst helping to deliver customer and community focused

investment. They have an impact on all areas of service delivery, renewal and

regeneration, and have departmental cross cutting themes.

Each Plan takes into account a whole spectrum of current national, regional and

local strategic agendas whilst retaining enough flexibility to address future emerging

policy and structural changes at all levels. They complement the Government’s

Localism Bill by facilitating and empowering local communities to improve local

services in their local area and careful consideration has also been given to relevant

strategies adopted by Durham County Council and the implications of the Housing

and Communities Agency (HCA) new role in regulating social landlords.

Tenant Services Authority Regulatory Requirements

The development and implementation of Community Plans also reflects livin’s

commitment to adhering to the Tenant Services Authority’s (TSA) current regulatory

regime. This regime requires livin to meet six separate service standards:

Tenant Involvement and Empowerment

Home

Tenancy

Neighbourhood and Community

Value for Money

Governance and Financial Viability

Comprehensive consultation to support each Plan will help livin to enhance customer

services and encourage local residents to become more responsible for local

services and the improvement of their communities thus addressing the Tenant

Involvement and Empowerment standard.

The Home standard will be addressed by assessing the current condition of the

current housing stock in each neighbourhood to ensure that it is of high quality, well

maintained and suitable for demand.

It is crucial that the Tenancy standard be incorporated into the outcomes of the

Community Plan through the consideration and effective use of lettings policies, rent

management policies and the enhancement of tenancy sustainment.

As part of the Neighbourhood and Community standard livin is required to deliver on

three separate outcomes; local cooperation, antisocial behaviour and neighbourhood

management. All of these will outcomes will be considered and addressed within the

outcomes of each Plan.

69

The Plans will also address the Value for Money standard by ensuring that livin

prioritise resources based on the actual needs and requirements of local residents

whilst enabling confidence for external stakeholders and businesses to invest in the

communities.

Durham County Council Strategic Framework

Durham County Council’s “Sustainable Communities” Strategy 2010-2030 is the

overarching plan for delivering long lasting improvements throughout the County. It

sets out five key strategic priority themes that will be focused on during the next 20

years:

Altogether Wealthier

Altogether Better for Children and Young People

Altogether Healthier

Altogether Safer

Altogether Greener

Whilst, Registered Providers are essential partners in delivering sustainable

communities, local authorities have the key strategic responsibility in this area. This

is particularly important for livin given its current geographical boundary within

County Durham and its relatively high levels of deprivation. Therefore the

organisation’s approach of aligning key elements of its Corporate Plan 2012 – 2015

to the priorities set out in Durham County Council’s Sustainable Communities

Strategy is vital in allowing the organisation to play its role as a key partner in

delivering sustainable communities.

The provision of sustainable communities and vibrant and successful towns sits

within the key strategic theme of “Altogether Wealthier” and places a significant

emphasis on local housing markets and improvements in employability and skills as

key drivers in this achievement. Although the provision of a successful housing

market is predominantly featured in the theme of “Altogether Wealthier” there can be

cross cutting themes across the other four priority themes as demonstrated in the

Community Plans.

This theme of housing being a key driver in creating sustainable communities is

further detailed in “Building Altogether Better Lives: A Housing Strategy for County

Durham 2010-2015” (DCC, 2010). This strategy focuses on the ability for housing

and other related services to create better life chances for persons living in County

Durham by delivering better housing markets and high quality housing stock through

enhanced partnership working.

70

National Housing Federation

Research conducted by the National Housing Federation (NHF) found that numerous

RP’s are now using their presence and impact within their local neighbourhoods to

provide services outside of their core housing management activities.

These activities are centred on employment and enterprise services, education and

skills services, wellbeing services, poverty and social inclusion, safety and

community cohesion.

During 2006/2007 the NHF found that RP’s nationally delivered 6,800

neighbourhood services (including facilities) and invested £435 million (£272 million

internal and £163 external) into resources outside of their core areas of activity. This

study highlighted the prominence that RP’s have within their local communities and

their perfect position to act as place makers in their neighbourhoods.

Further information and details relating to this research is contained within the full

NHF report, “The scale and scope of housing associations activity beyond housing”.

71

APPENDIX 2

METHODOLOGY

72

livin Communities With the help of livin’s Tenants Panel 19 local communities were defined. These 19

communities are also loosely based around Durham Constabulary’s local Police

“Beat” patches and are detailed below:

Locality Community Estates

1

Byers Green Byers Green

Kirk Merrington Kirk Merrington

Middlestone Moor Middlestone Moor

Spennymoor Town Town Centre (inc Bessemer Park) York Hill Tudhoe Tudhoe Grange

2

Dean Bank Dean Bank

Ferryhill Village and Cleves Cross Ferryhill Village Cleves Cross

West Cornforth Topside Lowside

Bishop Middleham Bishop Middleham

Chilton and Chilton Lane The Poets Windlestone

3

Trimdon Village Trimdon Village

Trimdon Grange Trimdon Grange

Trimdon Colliery Trimdon Colliery

Fishburn Fishburn

Sedgefield Sedgefield

4

Shildon Central Shildon Jubilee Fields New Shildon

Middridge Middridge

5

Aycliffe Old Town Shafto Simpasture Central

Aycliffe New Town Horndale Agnew Burnhill Western

Aycliffe Village Aycliffe Village

73

Data Sources

To successfully complete each individual Plan a wide range of quantitative and

qualitative data from an extended range of sources has been utilised. Data obtained

from these sources has focused on several social, economic and environmental

indicators. Census data has been obtained from the Lower Level Super Output Area

012B for the area of Aycliffe Village and part of Newton Aycliffe. Electoral Ward data

has been obtained for the Neville and Simpasture Ward.

Mosaic Public Sector classifies all consumers in the United Kingdom by allocating

them to one of 15 individual profile Groups. Each Group contains a number of key

characteristics and attributes which can be used by organisations to gain a detailed

and accurate understanding of consumer locations, their demographics, lifestyles

and behaviours. The utilisation of Mosaic Public Sector has enabled livin to

determine household profiles for individual communities. This profile enables livin to

understand the key characteristics of both livin tenants, and the community as a

whole, with the aim of informing the efficient and effective delivery of the identified

actions contained within each Community Plan.

Further information on Mosaic Public Sector, provided by Experian can be found at

http://publicsector.experian.co.uk.

Qualitative data collection methods has required livin to hold a number of

consultation events within the community to gain the views and opinions of local

residents, children and young people together with anecdotal data from interviews

with members of livin’s staff and the local Police Beat Team.

74

Social, Economic and Environmental Indicators

Several social, economic and environmental indicators have been established for

each community; with some being benchmarked against County and National data

averages. The table below shows the themes and topics each Community Plan has

explored and the data sources used to populate the required intelligence.

Themes Method

Housing

Quantitative- National statistics, livin stock data, DKO lettings data, Council tax data, Durham County Council strategic housing market assessment, House price websites and Land Registry data

Qualitative – Interviews and consultation events

Crime Rates and Perception of Crime

Quantitative – Durham Constabulary crime data and livin internal data, Mosaic profile data

Qualitative – Interviews and consultation events

Economy and Employment

Quantitative - National statistics and DWP Benefit data

Qualitative – Interviews and consultation events

Accessibility to Services and Facilities

Quantitative – Mosaic profile data

Qualitative – Interviews and consultation events

Health and Well Being

Quantitative - National Statistics, Mosaic profile data

Qualitative – Interviews and consultation events

Education and Training

Quantitative - National Statistics, Mosaic profile data

Qualitative – Interviews and consultation events

Reputation and Community Cohesion

Qualitative – Interviews and consultation events

Local Environment (including built environment, management of public areas)

Qualitative – Interviews, consultation events and environmental assessments

75

Community Views and Opinions

The community in Aycliffe Village were invited to tell livin their views, concerns and opinions about their local community. A

consultation event took place in November 2011 at The Whitehouse, sheltered accommodation. Community representation at this

event was low. Anecdotal evidence to support the intelligence contained in this Plan has also been obtained from the Police Beat

Team for Aycliffe Village and livin staff members.

The table below highlights the main concerns and areas for improvement highlighted during livin’s public consultation events:

Themes Community Comments

Housing

I always receive a good response if I need to contact livin

Mears have always been great whenever they visit

The flats and kitchen themselves are a little small but overall very nice

I like living here, it's nice. I feel safe walking around, even at nightime (Whitehouse)

Crime and Antisocial Behaviour

Crime here is like any other place there is some, I don’t have any trouble though

The village is very quiet

Not a lot of ASB around here, some small problems when kids threw stones at the windows, the police were called but no one came out

Economy and Employment

No Comments

76

Access to Services and

Facilities

Buses can be difficult as in certain parts of the village, buses only come every half an hour and they are not reliable

If the bus does not come or is late, which can be frequent, we have to walk to the centre of the village but this is difficult when you are older and the weather isn’t so good.

From the middle of the village we can get a number of different buses

The local pubs sometime have events on such as charity things etc which I sometimes go to

Church communal service once a month which is well attended

We used to have xmas parties but it's been stopped now which have made some residents disappointed

More needs to be done to make people aware that functions do take place in the area, because people think there isn’t anything to do

There is no bingo now, group activities would be nice, the bungalows nearby would like that too (Whitehouse)

Health and Wellbeing

Bewick crescent doctors is brilliant, it's far to travel but it’s worth it

Education & Training

No Comments

Reputation and

Community Cohesion

Good community spirit, people are friendly.

The place could be used more for activities and meetings to get people involved (Whitehouse)

The village is lovely but we have no shops at all here, there is now only a few pubs and a hairdressers

Since the post office closed we have had no access to a local shop

Environment The village looks nice and is a nice place to live and walk around

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Community Ranking Methodology

Based on the intelligence contained within this Community Plan livin has been able to rank the community based on; Bronze

(potential), Silver (aspiring) or Gold (performing). This will enable the identification of the communities which require more

immediate and more intensive interventions whilst ensuring there are mechanisms in place to maintain Gold standards.

The following are details of the methodology used by livin when determining the ranking for each community indicator:

Indicator Ranking

Housing Market

Affordability

Affordability ratios have been devised by comparing income to house prices in order to calculate how many times their average income an individual would be required to borrow to purchase their own property. It is particularly interesting to assess how well lower income households can access the housing market. To gauge access to entry level housing the data used is the lower quartile income of residents within the former area of Sedgefield Borough and the average price of terraced housing within the neighbourhood (the assumption is that this house type is often the lower quartile house type). Data sources for this information were the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2010 and land registry house price data. To assess the level of affordability it is important to rank the multiplier by the England average. In England during 2009 the lower quartile house price was 6.28 times the lower quartile full-time individual earnings (http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/housingplanningstatistics2010). Access to lending on homes is still calculated using a multiplier of 3.5 for single households and 2.9 for dual income households, therefore a multiplier of 3.5 or less can be deemed as affordable.

Gold = Multiplier of 0 to 3.5 is affordable Silver = Multiplier of 3.6 to 6.3 Bronze = Multiplier of 6.4 and above

Tenancy

Turnover

Tenancy Turnover is determined by the percentage of houses available to let compared with the total housing stock in a neighbourhood. It is recognised that this methodology is very simplistic and there are several factors that should be considered in conjunction with this ranking. These include:

Turnover rates in specific house types are generally higher than others (one bedroom bungalows) so consideration must be given to the total neighbourhood stock profile

Gold communities will normally have a lower tenancy turnover; however a Gold ranking could also indicate lack of access to housing and affordability issues requiring more households to have a housing need for socially rented properties in a particular neighbourhood.

Gold = 5% turnover or less Silver = 8-9% turnover Bronze = 10% turnover or more

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It is important that when considering tenancy turnover; further investigation be given to the circumstances surrounding the ranking and circumstances that may have contributed towards a high level of turnover. Further investigation should also be made into stock types within the neighbourhood and the accessibility and affordability of housing. To compile the percentage rates used to calculate this ranking consideration has been given to HouseMark’s national Benchmarking figures

Demand for livin

housing

Demand for livin properties has been determined by the comparison of three indicators of demand taken from Durham Key Options (DKO) data. Each of these indicators has been scored accordingly with the overall score of all three determining the ranking allocated to the community:

Hard to let properties in a community: This is defined as properties that have been advertised in three or more bidding cycles with DKO before being let. It is important to note that the presence of low demand house types within a neighbourhood can increase the percentage of hard to let properties. - No properties hard to let = 5 points - 1 to 2% of properties hard to let = 3 points - 3% or more properties hard to let = 1 point

Area of preference: Upon application households can choose their areas of choice. These indicate a “perception” of an area therefore producing a demand. Areas of preference between neighbourhoods have been determined by analysing the number of applicants showing a preference for each neighbourhood compared to the amount of applicants received by livin (by percentage). Applicants can indicate a preference for more than one area and it must be noted that area of preference is made at point of first application to DKO and is a snapshot in time. Often applicants do not update their areas of preference and these areas of preference may differ from their original indications during time spent on the housing register. - 50% or more applicants expressing the neighbourhood as an area of preference = 5

points - 21 to 49% of applicants expressing the neighbourhood as an area of preference = 3 points - 0 to 20% of applicants expressing the neighbourhood as an area of preference = 1 point

Average (mean) bids per property by neighbourhood: Demand is evident by the volume of bids received for a property. It is noted that this method will disguise some house types or localised areas where the bids per property are very low and in some areas where there are exceptional number of bids per property. - 20 bids or more = 5 points - 10-19 bids = 3 points - 9 bids or less = 1 point

Gold = 11 to 15 points Silver = 6 to 10 points Bronze = 1 to 5 points

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These three indicators considered together give livin a fair indication of demand for livin’s communities. However, anecdotal evidence from staff has uncovered that this methodology may disguise the actual experience of demand in livin’s communities by using a general mean average over all house types and sizes. This ranking together with the analysis does indicate areas of further in depth analysis.

Average Repair

Costs Per

Property

This has been calculated by analysing the total repair costs for livin properties within each of the 19 communities for the period 01 April 2009 to 31 March 2010. To calculate the average repair cost per property the total cost of all repairs for all livin properties in the village has been divided against the total number of stock livin owns within the community.

Gold = £599 or less Silver = £600 to £650 Bronze = £600 or more

Long Term

Unemployment

(6 to 12 months)

This ranking is based on data supplied by the DWP in March 2011 and relates to the percentage of persons residing in the Ward of Neville and Simpasture (including part of Newton Aycliffe) claiming Jobseekers Allowance for a period of 6 to 12 months. This data has been compared to the overall percentage for Durham County of 18%. Data was obtained from the NOMIS Official Labour Market Statistics supplied by the Office for National Statistics.

Gold = 17% or less (lower than the County percentage) Silver = 18% (equivalent to the County percentage) Bronze = 19% or more (higher than the County percentage)

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Average

Household

Income

This ranking is based on national statistics and relates to model-based average weekly household total income estimates for households in the Ward of Neville and Simpasture (including part of Newton Aycliffe) for 2001/02. This data has been compared to the North East average weekly household total income estimate of £410.00. Data was obtained from the Office for National Statistics.

Gold = £411.00 or more Silver = £410.00 Bronze = £409.99 or less

livin Rental

Debit

To assess the rent payments made by tenants within livin properties in Aycliffe Village an analysis and comparison of livin’s rental debit figures for 2009/2010 to 2010/2011 were utilised. The total rental debit charge is the total rent charged for all livin properties within Aycliffe Village throughout a financial year. At the end of the financial year the total amount of rent payments collected by livin is offset against the total rental debit. The total amount of rent payments collected by livin is calculated within the first week of the following financial year; this ensures that any housing benefit payments have been processed and credited to the relevant rent account. All housing benefit payments paid by DCC are received every 4 weeks and are paid in arrears. By offsetting the amount of rent paid throughout the year against the total rental debit charge for the year livin are able to calculate how much outstanding debt it has within each individual community. This outstanding debt is commonly referred to as “rent arrears”. This figure is then calculated as a percentage of the total rental debit charge and has been used to provide the community’s ranking. livin has not been able to base the ranking of rental debit against any validated local benchmarking figures.

Gold = 0 to 0.99% Silver = 1.00% to 1.99% Bronze = over 2.00%.

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Educational

Attainment

(5 GCSE’s

Grade C &

Above)

This ranking is based on national statistics from the 2001 Census data and relates to the percentage of persons residing in the neighbourhood of Aycliffe Village (and part of Newton Aycliffe) that have an educational attainment of 5 GCSE’s Grade C and above. This data has been compared and ranked against the County and North East averages of 18%. Data obtained from the Office for National Statistics at www.statisics.co.uk

Gold = 19% or more Silver = 18% Bronze = 17% or less

Environmental

Assessment

On 9 January 2012 staff from livin’s Communities Teams conducted an Environmental Assessment on a pre-determined route through the village. At the “stopping point” a number of economic indicators were scored. The maximum number of points that can be awarded at each stopping point is 35. Environmental indicators include:

Grassed areas & shrubs

Fly tipping & litter

Garages

Pathways, roads & parking

Trees

Boundary walls & fences

Gardens

The route through the village began at Durham Road and onto Atkinson Gardens before turning onto Millfields. The total number of points attained throughout the assessment is then divided by the number of stopping points to provide an average total for the village. The village scored a total of 31 points (31 divided by 1 = 31). Full details of the Environmental Assessments can be found at: www.livin.co.uk

Gold = 30 to 35 points Silver = 21 to 29 points Bronze = 0 to 20 points

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Total Score for Aycliffe Village This score is based on a range of economic, social, and environmental indicators contained within the Community Plan for Aycliffe Village. These issues have been scored against strategic priorities from livin’s Corporate Plan 2012-2015. The maximum a community can score is 36. This is based on a maximum of 15 points for economic issues, 12 points for social issues and 9 points for environmental issues.

Contact Us:

livin, Farrell House, Arlington Way, DurhamGate, Spennymoor, Co Durham, DL16 6NL visit: livin.co.uk e: contactus@livin.co.uk t: 0800 587 4538 (free from a landline) or 0300 111 2344 (cheap rate from mobiles depending on your network)

0

5

10

15

Economic Social Environmental

Low level

issues

Prominent issues

Substantial

issues

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