strength
Make the most of Fareham Live and existing businesses
Fareham Live is open and the evening walking route to West Street is permanent.
The town has something usable today while larger redevelopment plans progress.
What could help →Fareham · Hampshire
Issues and SWOT: Fareham
Fareham 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 £1,176 a month (August 2026) in Fareham council area. This is £283 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.4% in Uplands & Funtley to 22.5% in Fareham Town — a gap of 16.1 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 →strength
Bring support closer to people in poor health
4% of people reported bad or very bad health in Fareham council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.1% in Sarisbury & Whiteley to 5.7% in Fort Fareham — a gap of 3.5 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 →Weaknesses
weakness
Keep services in step with Welborne homes
Welborne has its first residents while school and village-centre elements remain at different stages.
A home needs usable daily services and safe routes, not only a completed building.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Connect new business space to local opportunity
Welborne has approved business units and Swordfish has emerging proposals.
New floorspace could support jobs if employers occupy it and residents can reach the work.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
24.5% of people in Fareham council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.5% in Sarisbury & Whiteley to 33.2% in Hill Head — a gap of 18.8 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
33.4% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Fareham council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 7.2% in Sarisbury & Whiteley to 18.3% in Portchester Wicor — a gap of 11.1 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 Fareham 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 6.7% in Sarisbury & Whiteley to 19.4% in Fort Fareham — a gap of 12.7 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
Avoid a gap between a masterplan and a working town centre
Town-centre redevelopment is still presented as emerging proposals in the reviewed update.
Businesses and residents need viable phases and day-to-day access throughout change.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Make the most of Fareham Live and existing businessesCouncil record of completed 2024 venue and access works. | Fareham Borough Council and local businesses | |
| Keep services in step with Welborne homesFirst occupations recorded in 2025; later infrastructure milestones separately listed. | Welborne developers, Fareham Borough Council, Hampshire County Council and relevant health providers | |
| Connect new business space to local opportunityWelborne approval in May; Swordfish consultation in July 2026. | Fareham Borough Council with developers, employers and Hampshire County Council | |
| Avoid a gap between a masterplan and a working town centreFebruary 2026 engagement and application sequence. | Fareham Borough Council | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,176 a month (August 2026) in Fareham council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.4% in Uplands & Funtley to 22.5% in Fareham Town — a gap of 16.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Plan homes and care around an older population24.5% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.5% in Sarisbury & Whiteley to 33.2% in Hill Head — a gap of 18.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 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% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.1% in Sarisbury & Whiteley to 5.7% in Fort Fareham — a gap of 3.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 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 opportunities33.4% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 7.2% in Sarisbury & Whiteley to 18.3% in Portchester Wicor — a gap of 11.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 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 6.7% in Sarisbury & Whiteley to 19.4% in Fort Fareham — a gap of 12.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 16 of 16 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |