strength
Use the council’s connected investment plan
The capital strategy links the town centre, leisure park, housing areas and Manydown.
A shared programme can make it easier to spot competing demands and missing connections.
What could help →Basingstoke and Deane · Hampshire
Issues and SWOT: Basingstoke and Deane
Basingstoke and Deane local authority area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These are evidence-led assessments, not council ratings. Each issue links to a proposed response and the local work connected to it.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £1,309 a month (August 2026) in Basingstoke and Deane council area. This is £150 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.6% in Kempshott & Buckskin to 41.2% in Brookvale & Kings Furlong — a gap of 33.6 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
3.7% of people reported bad or very bad health in Basingstoke and Deane council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.5% in Hatch Warren & Beggarwood to 6.5% in South Ham — a gap of 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 →strength
Connect local skills to local opportunities
35.2% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Basingstoke and Deane council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 7.4% in Hatch Warren & Beggarwood to 24% in South Ham — a gap of 16.5 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
Keep established neighbourhoods visible alongside new growth
Buckskin, South Ham and Winklebury are named regeneration priorities.
New development should not obscure the condition and needs of existing homes and streets.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Make Manydown’s supporting facilities visible
Manydown is planned as housing with infrastructure and community space.
A useful new neighbourhood needs everyday services and connections alongside homes.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
17.3% of people in Basingstoke and Deane council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 7.9% in Sherborne St John & Rooksdown to 25.2% in Oakley & The Candovers — a gap of 17.3 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
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Basingstoke and Deane 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
4 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 5.9% in Hatch Warren & Beggarwood to 24.3% in South Ham — a gap of 18.5 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 leisure provision working through replacement
A new leisure centre is planned to replace the Aquadrome.
Users need continuity and an affordable long-term operating model.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Use the council’s connected investment planFebruary 2026 capital strategy. | Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council | |
| Keep established neighbourhoods visible alongside new growthNamed priority areas in the capital strategy. | Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and housing associations | |
| Make Manydown’s supporting facilities visibleCapital strategy programme description. | Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, county council and development partners | |
| Keep leisure provision working through replacementOutline business case and procurement described in the 2026 strategy. | Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and leisure operators | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,309 a month (August 2026) in Basingstoke and Deane council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.6% in Kempshott & Buckskin to 41.2% in Brookvale & Kings Furlong — a gap of 33.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 18 of 18 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Plan homes and care around an older population17.3% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 7.9% in Sherborne St John & Rooksdown to 25.2% in Oakley & The Candovers — a gap of 17.3 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 health3.7% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.5% in Hatch Warren & Beggarwood to 6.5% in South Ham — a gap of 5 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 opportunities35.2% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 7.4% in Hatch Warren & Beggarwood to 24% in South Ham — a gap of 16.5 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 5.9% in Hatch Warren & Beggarwood to 24.3% in South Ham — a gap of 18.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 18 of 18 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |