strength
Build on Hereford’s water-management work
Connected ponds and wetlands are being constructed at Merton Meadow.
A defined scheme can address flood and drainage constraints.
What could help →Herefordshire, in numbers
Issues and SWOT
Herefordshire, County of council 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
Keep Leominster’s renewed streets accessible
Wider pavements, renewed road surfaces and restored shopfronts addressed reported problems with access and drainage. Later economic effects have not been established.
This is a local delivery priority; the wider authority totals cannot establish this project’s effects.
What could help →strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £821 a month (August 2026) in Herefordshire, County of council area. This is £638 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.5% in Tupsley to 42.5% in Central — a gap of 33 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
Reset Shire Hall and museum plans to a deliverable scope
The council is revising Shire Hall and museum plans after surveys and rising costs made the original schemes unaffordable.
Proposed response: Make the revised choices and their consequences clear before committing to the replacement programme.
What could help →weakness
Bring support closer to people in poor health
5.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Herefordshire, County of council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.4% in Belmont Rural to 7.9% in Hinton & Hunderton — a gap of 4.5 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.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Verify flood and drainage works before counting future homes
Merton Meadow’s flood works are an enabling step for potential housing and wetlands.
Proposed response: Keep the flood scheme, public access and later housing decisions separate.
What could help →opportunity
Turn prepared land into working premises at Ross
Access from the A40, roads, utilities and drainage are being built before businesses can develop plots. Jobs depend on later occupiers.
This is a local delivery priority; the wider authority totals cannot establish this project’s effects.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
25.9% of people in Herefordshire, County of council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.8% in Newton Farm to 38.3% in Ledbury North — a gap of 25.4 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
32.7% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Herefordshire, County of council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.2% in Hope End to 29.1% in Newton Farm — a gap of 16.9 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 Herefordshire, County of 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
5 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 9.9% in Llangarron to 28.4% in Hinton & Hunderton — a gap of 18.6 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 structural findings visible in heritage budgets
Building surveys and higher costs have forced redesign of Shire Hall and museum work.
Further discoveries could change scope or cost again.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Reset Shire Hall and museum plans to a deliverable scopeShire Hall and Hereford Museum renewal: Revised designs and pre-construction work. See the dated project evidence. | Herefordshire Council | |
| Verify flood and drainage works before counting future homesMerton Meadow flood alleviation and wetlands: Construction of flood-alleviation works started. Evidence dated 2026-02-11. | Herefordshire Council and Speller Metcalfe | |
| Build on Hereford’s water-management workMerton Meadow flood alleviation and wetlands: Construction of flood-alleviation works started. See the retained dated source. | Herefordshire Council and Speller Metcalfe | |
| Keep structural findings visible in heritage budgetsShire Hall and Hereford Museum renewal: Revised designs and pre-construction work. See the retained dated source. | Herefordshire Council | |
| Keep Leominster’s renewed streets accessibleLeominster streets and heritage: Streets substantially renewed; finishing work remained in December 2024. | Herefordshire Council | |
| Turn prepared land into working premises at RossRoss-on-Wye Enterprise Park infrastructure: Infrastructure work underway; spring 2027 completion forecast. | Herefordshire Council | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £821 a month (August 2026) in Herefordshire, County of council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.5% in Tupsley to 42.5% in Central — a gap of 33 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 53 of 53 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Plan homes and care around an older population25.9% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.8% in Newton Farm to 38.3% in Ledbury North — a gap of 25.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 53 of 53 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 health5.2% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.4% in Belmont Rural to 7.9% in Hinton & Hunderton — a gap of 4.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 53 of 53 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 opportunities32.7% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.2% in Hope End to 29.1% in Newton Farm — a gap of 16.9 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 53 of 53 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 9.9% in Llangarron to 28.4% in Hinton & Hunderton — a gap of 18.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 53 of 53 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |