Issues and SWOT: North Norfolk

strength

Build on the housing delivered at Walcott

Affordable homes were completed in March.

This is a concrete local result within the wider housing programme.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £865 a month (August 2026) in North Norfolk council area. This is £594 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.6% in Trunch to 29.3% in Cromer Town — a gap of 18.8 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.

weakness

Make planned temporary homes available

Additional accommodation is still at purchase stage.

A funding award is not a usable home.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6% of people reported bad or very bad health in North Norfolk council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.6% in Erpingham to 8.6% in Mundesley — 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.

opportunity

Use adaptation lessons before the next crisis

Coastwise is testing practical options for affected owners.

Earlier planning can make difficult choices clearer.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

33.5% of people in North Norfolk council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 19.2% in Worstead to 44.5% in Beeston Regis & The Runtons — a gap of 25.3 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.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

26.2% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in North Norfolk council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 15% in Erpingham to 24.1% in Lancaster South — a gap of 9.1 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.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in North Norfolk 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 10.8% in Stody to 24.5% in Bacton — a gap of 13.8 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Keep coastal risk and support visible

Erosion has required properties at Happisburgh to be removed.

Some places cannot be protected by maintaining existing buildings.

Evidence