CarlisleCountsCarlisle, in numbers.Local help →Carlisle · England
Cumberland council area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats drawn from the available evidence. These are analytical judgements, not an official council assessment. Where a national comparison is available, lower housing costs, lower reported poor health and higher qualification shares are treated as relative strengths; this does not prove affordability or service quality.
strength
Carlisle Southern Link Road is open, with walking and cycling connections; congestion relief and development benefits remain expected outcomes.
Proposed response: Evaluate the opened route before treating the advertised benefits as achieved.
What could help →strength
Average private rent is £681 a month (August 2026) in Cumberland council area. This is £778 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.3% in Moss Bay and Moorclose to 45.4% in Castle — a gap of 39.1 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 →weakness
6.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in Cumberland council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.6% in Dalston and Burgh to 9% in Moss Bay and Moorclose — a gap of 5.3 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 →opportunity
The draft masterplan brings wider growth and city-centre regeneration together, but its proposals remain subject to feasibility and design.
Proposed response: Publish the consultation response and distinguish deliverable first steps from longer-term possibilities.
What could help →opportunity
23.1% of people in Cumberland council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.5% in Currock to 31.5% in Solway Coast — a gap of 19 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
27.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Cumberland council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 13% in Cockermouth South to 29.7% in Maryport South — 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.
What could help →opportunity
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Cumberland 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
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
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 9% in Cockermouth South to 29.8% in Moss Bay and Moorclose — a gap of 20.8 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 →The evidence gathered here does not yet support a distinct finding in this category.
| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Check whether Carlisle’s new link road delivers its benefitsCarlisle Southern Link Road: Opened to traffic. See the dated project evidence. | Cumberland Council | |
| Turn Carlisle’s long list of ideas into a clear sequenceCarlisle’s draft 25-year masterplan: Draft masterplan consulted on from 29 June to 31 July 2026. Undated council page checked 17 October 2026. | Cumberland Council and Mott MacDonald | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £681 a month (August 2026) in Cumberland council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.3% in Moss Bay and Moorclose to 45.4% in Castle — a gap of 39.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 46 of 46 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Plan homes and care around an older population23.1% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.5% in Currock to 31.5% in Solway Coast — a gap of 19 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 46 of 46 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 health6.1% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.6% in Dalston and Burgh to 9% in Moss Bay and Moorclose — a gap of 5.3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 46 of 46 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 opportunities27.6% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 13% in Cockermouth South to 29.7% in Maryport South — a gap of 16.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 46 of 46 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 9% in Cockermouth South to 29.8% in Moss Bay and Moorclose — a gap of 20.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 46 of 46 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |