Issues and SWOT: Boston

strength

A new place to learn and meet

Mayflower provides an operating venue, rather than a future building proposal.

Proposed response: Publish available community sessions and access information.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £806 a month (August 2026) in Boston council area. This is £653 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.1% in Five Village to 47.7% in Station — a gap of 39.7 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Leisure work interrupts normal access

The remodelled centre is not yet a single completed facility.

Proposed response: Explain which facilities are open during each phase.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.8% of people reported bad or very bad health in Boston council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.5% in West to 7.6% in Five Village — a gap of 4 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Turn a new square into a useful route

Rosegarth could make the station-to-centre journey easier.

Proposed response: Verify the opening and publish an accessible route.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

20.4% of people in Boston council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 8.3% in Station to 28.2% in Coastal — a gap of 19.9 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

19% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Boston council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 17.1% in West to 37.8% in Station — a gap of 20.7 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Boston council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 11.2% in West to 26.8% in Fenside — a gap of 15.5 percentage points.

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

threat

An unfinished phase can weaken the whole scheme

The leisure programme still has an unconfirmed final completion date.

Proposed response: Publish remaining milestones and responsibilities.

Evidence