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• Ward overview
• Population
• Households
• Deprivation
• Employment and unemployment
• Contact details.

Alternatively, you can download the Ovenden Ward profile: Ovenden [PDF file 517KB]|

Ward overview

Ovenden ward is situated one mile to the north of Halifax town centre and is predominantly residential. There are industrial areas mainly located in the eastern part along Shay Lane. It includes the neighbourhoods of Furness, Wheatley and Lee Mount with the adjoining Shroggs Park. The A629 road from Halifax to Keighley runs through the ward.

This map is reproduced from or based upon Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings.

© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. 100023069. (2010)

Population

Area and population summary

Ovenden occupies an area of 340 hectares, or 1.3 square miles. The total population, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year estimate for 2007, is 12,291. This is made up of 48.2% males and 51.8% females. The population density is 36.2 persons per hectare, and the number of electors in the ward in December 2009 was 8,535.

Population structure

The ward has a younger population profile than the district as a whole, with significantly more children and young adults, and fewer older people. The proportion of school-age children has decreased since 2001, while that of young adults has increased.

The table and chart below show the age-structure of the population.

Source: ONS 2007 mid-year estimates

Ethnicity

The ethnic group of the population, at the 2001 census, was 97% white, considerably higher than the district as a whole.

Source: 2001 Census

Country of birth

Of the 5% of the population born outside the UK, by far the largest number originate in Western Europe .

Source: CACI Country of Birth files

The chart below illustrates the country of birth of the 6% of the population who originate outside the UK.

Health

Life expectancy in Ovenden is lower by nearly four years for men, and three years for women, than the district as a whole. Female life expectancy has risen in recent years.

Mortality rates (age standardised) were much higher than district and national averages for both under 65s and under 75s.

Sources: Long term illness: 2001 census, all other indicators: NHS Calderdale

^*SMR (Standardised Mortality Rate) is the ratio of the observed to the expected level of mortality and takes account of the area's age profile. 100 is the national average, so numbers above 100 are worse, below 100 better, than average.

The table and chart below show the change in life expectancy for males and females in Ovenden Ward between 2001-2003 and 2006-2008,

Source: NHS Calderdale

Households

There are a total of 5,235 households in the ward, estimated from the number of occupied dwellings. The average household size is 2.3 persons.

Council Tax banding

Over 70% of all households are in Council Tax Band A, and very small numbers are in Bands C to H.

Source: Calderdale Council Chargeable dwellings 2009 (occupied dwellings)

Household incomes

40% of households in the ward have an income below £20,000 and the proportion on higher incomes is substantially below the district average.

Source: CACI Paycheck 2009

The following three tables are all taken from 2001 census data and cannot currently be updated. They show that the main ways in which Ovenden Ward differs from Calderdale overall are:

• high proportions of lone parent households and low numbers of pensioner households
• very low owner occupation and very high levels of social housing relative to district averages
• very low car ownership rates

Source: 2001 census

Source: 2001 census

Source: 2001 census

Deprivation

The proportion of households receiving benefits, and the proportion of pensioners receiving Pension Credit are both much higher than the district average.Fuel poverty is slightly higher than average.

Out of 9 areas in the ward, 3 are in the most deprived 10% nationally on the Index of Multiple Deprivation, and a further 3 in the worst 11-20%. This indicates that two-thirds of the ward population live in very deprived areas.

Sources: CMBC Safer and Stronger Communities, Benefits Service, English Housing Conditions Survey, Department of Work and Pensions.

*Percentage is of 60+ population

Employment and unemployment

Unemployment

Claimant count unemployment totals in Ovenden Ward rose from 345 in January 2006 to 683 in January 2010. By January 2010 this equated to 9% of the working age population, compared with 5.1% in the district and 4.3% nationally. This indicates a significant worsening of the situation in the ward over the past four years. Changes since 2006 are illustrated in the table and chart below.

Source: Department of Works and Pensions

This picture of unemployment is confirmed by the 2008 - 2009 Annual Population Survey, which showed that 13.2% of the economically active population were unable to find jobs,compared with 7.6% in the district and 6.9% nationally.

Employment

The data on this page is about employment at workplaces in Ovenden Ward. Only 1,800 people work in this ward, the lowest figure in the district.

About one third work in the Public sector - well above the district average - while the Finance sector is very small. There was little change in totals between 2006 and 2008.

Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2008

Looking in more detail at the change from 2006 to 2008 in employment by sector, as illustrated in the chart below, the only significant change was in Manufacturing, with a loss of 100 jobs.

Contact details

For further information contact the Research and Consultation Team:

• Email:
• researchandinfo@calderdale.gov.uk
• Telephone:
• 01422 393129.