strength
Use the restored building beyond office hours
The Grammar retains community hall and meeting-room use alongside a long-term council tenant.
Proposed response: Protect useful public booking hours.
What could help →Amber Valley, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Amber Valley
Amber Valley local authority area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £799 a month (August 2026) in Amber Valley council area. This is £660 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.6% in Smalley, Shipley & Horsley Woodhouse to 19.1% in Heanor West & Loscoe — a gap of 10.5 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.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Finish the story for the unused Science Block
The Science Block is still at preparation stage.
Proposed response: Turn the feasibility study into costed, fundable choices.
What could help →weakness
Bring support closer to people in poor health
5.6% of people reported bad or very bad health in Amber Valley council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.9% in Duffield & Quarndon to 7.9% in Alfreton — a gap of 5.1 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.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Make the marketplace work for daily travel
The redesigned corner and surfaces address earlier access problems.
Proposed response: Check how buses, pedestrians and events now share the space.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
22.6% of people in Amber Valley council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.7% in Somercotes to 30% in Crich & South Wingfield — a gap of 14.3 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.
What could help →opportunity
Connect local skills to local opportunities
28.8% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Amber Valley council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.7% in Duffield & Quarndon to 26.7% in Alfreton — a gap of 17 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.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Amber Valley 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.
What could help →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.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 8.7% in Duffield & Quarndon to 25.2% in Somercotes — a gap of 16.5 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
threat
Keep restored buildings financially sustainable
The Grammar relies on tenancy income and future uses still need funding.
Proposed response: Separate signed income from hoped-for occupation.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Use the restored building beyond office hoursThe Grammar reuse: Keys handed over; tenant fit-out pending | Amber Valley Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Finish the story for the unused Science BlockFormer Science Block reuse study: Feasibility completed; further studies and funding needed | Amber Valley Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make the marketplace work for daily travelHeanor Marketplace redesign: Completed | Amber Valley Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Keep restored buildings financially sustainableThe Grammar reuse: Keys handed over; tenant fit-out pending; Former Science Block reuse study: Feasibility completed; further studies and funding needed | Amber Valley Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £799 a month (August 2026) in Amber Valley council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.6% in Smalley, Shipley & Horsley Woodhouse to 19.1% in Heanor West & Loscoe — a gap of 10.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 18 of 18 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plan homes and care around an older population22.6% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.7% in Somercotes to 30% in Crich & South Wingfield — a gap of 14.3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 18 of 18 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health5.6% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.9% in Duffield & Quarndon to 7.9% in Alfreton — a gap of 5.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 18 of 18 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities28.8% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.7% in Duffield & Quarndon to 26.7% in Alfreton — a gap of 17 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 18 of 18 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 8.7% in Duffield & Quarndon to 25.2% in Somercotes — a gap of 16.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 18 of 18 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |