Issues and SWOT: High Peak

strength

Keep Glossop’s market serving everyday needs

The restored market hall has an operator and information for traders.

Proposed response: Review access and the mix of local traders.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £937 a month (August 2026) in High Peak council area. This is £522 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.9% in Dinting to 37.6% in Buxton Central — a gap of 30.7 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.

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5% of people reported bad or very bad health in High Peak council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.6% in Burbage to 11.1% in Gamesley — a gap of 8.5 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.

strength

Connect local skills to local opportunities

35.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in High Peak council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.4% in Simmondley to 26.1% in Gamesley — a gap of 16.7 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.

weakness

Explain what Buxton’s plans have actually secured

The reviewed Buxton milestone is a planning application.

Proposed response: Separate permission, funding and delivery decisions.

Evidence

opportunity

Link the station with a more varied town centre

The Buxton design proposes routes between the station and Spring Gardens alongside homes and commercial uses.

Proposed response: Test the route and uses with residents and existing traders.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

21.8% of people in High Peak council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 13.1% in Gamesley to 34.7% in Temple — a gap of 21.6 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

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in High Peak 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 8.2% in Dinting to 35.4% in Gamesley — a gap of 27.2 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

Keep leisure improvements usable during works

Buxton’s July programme required temporary gym closure while Glossop’s works were phased.

Proposed response: Confirm reopening and continuity before promoting completed upgrades.

Evidence