strength
Use Ashbourne’s completed public spaces
The council-led programme has reached its completion celebration.
Proposed response: Assess everyday access and local trading after construction.
What could help →Derbyshire Dales, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Derbyshire Dales
Derbyshire Dales 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 £819 a month (August 2026) in Derbyshire Dales council area. This is £640 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.9% in Matlock East & Tansley to 27.6% in Chatsworth — a gap of 17.7 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.
What could help →strength
Bring support closer to people in poor health
4.6% of people reported bad or very bad health in Derbyshire Dales council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2% in Norbury to 6% in Cromford & Matlock Bath — 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.
What could help →strength
Connect local skills to local opportunities
39.2% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Derbyshire Dales council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 10.7% in Hathersage to 19% in Hartington & Taddington — a gap of 8.3 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 →Weaknesses
weakness
Make affordable meals dependable at Hurst Farm
The Farmer’s View project addresses local health and income pressures through a social eating space.
Proposed response: Support a reliable service rather than relying on equipment alone.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Make cemetery visits easier
The council reports completed path improvements at Ashbourne Cemetery.
Proposed response: Check the experience of people with mobility difficulties.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
28% of people in Derbyshire Dales council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 19.7% in Doveridge & Sudbury to 36.2% in Bakewell — a gap of 16.5 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
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Derbyshire Dales 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 8.6% in Calver & Longstone to 19% in Matlock East & Tansley — a gap of 10.4 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
Protect the operating costs behind community assets
The Farmer’s View kitchen and Ashbourne’s renewed spaces need ongoing management.
Proposed response: Budget for maintenance and staffing alongside public use.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Use Ashbourne’s completed public spacesAshbourne Reborn: Completion celebrated in June 2026 | Derbyshire Dales District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make affordable meals dependable at Hurst FarmThe Farmer’s View community kitchen: Refurbished and equipped | Derbyshire Dales District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make cemetery visits easierAshbourne Cemetery path improvements: Completed according to October council notice | Derbyshire Dales District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Protect the operating costs behind community assetsThe Farmer’s View community kitchen: Refurbished and equipped; Ashbourne Reborn: Completion celebrated in June 2026 | Derbyshire Dales District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £819 a month (August 2026) in Derbyshire Dales council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.9% in Matlock East & Tansley to 27.6% in Chatsworth — a gap of 17.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 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 population28% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 19.7% in Doveridge & Sudbury to 36.2% in Bakewell — a gap of 16.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 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 health4.6% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2% in Norbury to 6% in Cromford & Matlock Bath — a gap of 4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 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 opportunities39.2% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 10.7% in Hathersage to 19% in Hartington & Taddington — a gap of 8.3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 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 8.6% in Calver & Longstone to 19% in Matlock East & Tansley — a gap of 10.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 21 of 21 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |