Poverty & Inequalities Profile - Falkirk 2010 - Falkirk Council

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Poverty & Inequalities Profile Falkirk 2009 Financial Security The Scottish Household Survey is carried out by the Scottish Government biannually for local authorities. There are 3 questions that ask respondents about financial situation such as bank and building society accounts, how they are coping and savings. People in poverty are less likely to have bank accounts for various reasons. The Banking Code 2005 states that if a bank has a basic bank account option, they should be opened to those who require one or specifically ask. However, not all banks have this option and they are not usually advertised. Opening a bank account can be difficult for a number of reasons, for example, due to a previous bank account being frozen, overdrawn or if the individual is bankrupt, bad credit history or even a lack of credit history. There are also problems in terms of providing the normal acceptable forms of identification such as a passport or a driving licence and issues around proof of address and differences in surnames amongst family members. Table 6:% of households where respondent has a Table 7:% of households describing themselves as bank, building society or credit union account coping well or very well financially 2003-2004 2005-2006 2007-2008 99-00 01-02 03-04 05-06 07-08 Falkirk 92.9 91.5 90.9 Falkirk 41.6 50.1 55.3 40.9 53.6 Scotland 89.6 91.3 91.0 Scotland 40.3 46.8 46.8 47.2 51.4 Source: Scottish Household Survey Source: Scottish Household Survey In Falkirk, the number of people without a bank or building society account in 2007/08 was 90.9%; this is slightly lower than previous years. This shows that people may be experiencing financial difficulties. This is slightly lower than the Scottish figure, however, where the number of people in Falkirk with bank or building society accounts has decreased; the Scottish figures have increased from 2003/04 to 2007/08. Table 7 shows that in 2007/08 53.6% of Falkirk stated that they were coping well or very well financially. This is higher than the Scottish rate of 51.4%. While Scotland’s rates have increased over the years, Falkirk has fluctuated. This may reflect the economy, but could also be due to the survey sample of the Scottish Household Survey. It is important to note that this is before the economic recession and that this figure may have changed considerably. Table 8: % of households that have some savings 1999-2000 2001-2002 2003-2004 2005-2006 2007-2008 Falkirk 55.7 58.1 59.2 46.1 50.9 Scotland 53.3 53.4 53.3 50.8 49.5 Source: Scottish Household Survey Being able to save increases an individual’s resilience to debt and poverty. Savings can help in times of being made unemployed, illness and also for emergencies. However, there are many low income individuals and families that are unable to save, and this leaves them vulnerable to debt and stress and can also lead to loans from doorstep lenders. It also affects the ability to plan ahead. The table above shows that Falkirk had a higher level of savers than Scotland in 2007/08, with 50.9% saving. However, with the economic recession, this may have changed significantly while more people fall into debt. Fuel Poverty Fuel Poverty is the inability to afford adequate warmth in the home. It is defined as having to spend 10% or more of income to meet recognized heating standards. Extreme poverty is defined as having to spend 20% or more of annual income on fuel. An adequate temperature is taken to be the World Health Organisation standard of 21°C in living rooms and 18°C in other rooms. Figure 3: Fuel Poverty in Falkirk % of households 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Fuel Poverty in Falkirk Fuel Poverty Extreme Fuel Poverty Falkirk Scotland For those living in fuel poverty the consequences are misery, discomfort, ill health and debt. The Scottish House Condition Survey for 2003-2006 estimates that 14% of those who were surveyed in this period were fuel poor in the Falkirk Council area. This is lower than the Scottish average of 19%. Falkirk Council’s All Tenure House Condition Survey 2009 estimates that 28.2% of households in Falkirk are in fuel poverty, whilst 5.1% are considered to be in extreme fuel poverty, spending in excess of 20% of annual income on fuel.
Working Age Benefit Table 9: Working Age Benefits - Distribution thoughout Falkirk Area Number % Bainsford & Langlees 810 35.8% Camelon East 575 33.2% Camelon West 540 31.5% Hallglen & Glen Village 580 28.7% Bowhouse 585 26.2% Newtown 435 26.0% Stenhousemuir West 490 24.7% Middlefield 645 24.0% Kersiebank 635 23.6% Grahamston 560 23.2% Newlands 635 23.2% Laurieston & Westquarter 425 22.5% Bonnybridge 530 21.1% Braes Villages 610 20.9% Dunipace 425 20.6% Fankerton, Stoneywood & Denny Town 465 20.5% Banknock & Haggs 460 20.5% Carronshore 345 20.2% Tamfourhill 335 20.2% Falkirk Town Centre & Callendar Park 340 20.0% Nethermains 495 19.7% Grangemouth Town Centre 340 17.4% Maddiston & Rumford 440 16.5% Blackness, Carriden & Grahamsdyke 335 16.3% Redding 340 16.2% Douglas 445 15.2% Kinneil 420 14.8% Carse & Grangemouth Old Town 330 14.8% High Bonnybridge & Greenhill 450 14.1% North Broomage & Inches 365 14.0% Stenhousemuir East 305 13.4% Bantaskin 275 13.1% Merchiston & New Carron Village 310 12.4% Shieldhill 190 11.2% Head of Muir & Dennyloanhead 215 11.1% Carron 185 9.7% Antonshill 210 9.4% Larbert Village & South Broomage 190 8.8% Polmont 220 7.9% Brightons Reddingmuirhead & Wallacestone 325 7.5% Lochgreen Lionthorn & Prospecthill 100 4.3% Falkirk 16,910 17.6% Scotland 572,400 17.6% Poverty & Inequalities Profile Falkirk 2009 Benefits Table 10: Working Age Benefits Claimant Rates Falkirk Scotland Total Claimant Rate 17.6% 17.6% Male 53.1% 53.6% Female 46.9% 46.4% % Aged under 25 14.8% 14.5% % Aged 35-54 45.6% 46.4% Out of Work Benefits 84.7% 85.5% % in receipt of ESA/IB 49.7% 50.2% % in receipt of JSA 23.9% 22.7% % who are lone parents 8.7% 9.7% Duration - Up to 6 months 24.8% 23.2% Duration - 2-5 years 13.2% 14.4% Duration - 5 or more years 42.8% 43.2% Source: Nomis 2009 Working age benefits is a count of people who are claiming one or more benefits that are of working age (16-59 for women and 16-64 for men). This provides the total number of people in receipt of working age benefits rather than the number of claims. Working age benefits include Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance and Carer’s Allowance. This data gives information on people who are out of work and unable to work. Table 9 shows the distribution of claimants of working age benefits throughout the Falkirk intermediate area zones. Those highlighted in red are the eleven areas with the highest level of claimants. Those above the line are above the Falkirk and Scottish average of 17.6%. In Bainsford and Langlees 35.8% of its working age population are in receipt of benefits, whilst Lochgreen, Lionthorn & Prospecthill has as little as 4.3%. This difference demonstrates the level of inequality throughout Falkirk. Table 10 shows more detailed information on the people in receipt of working age benefits. Almost half are aged between 35-54 and in receipt of Employment Support Allowance or Incapacity Benefit. The rate of people claiming for over 5 years is high at 42.8%. Almost a quarter of the working age population are in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance, and this corresponds with the number of claimants who are in receipt of benefits up to 6 months.
Page 1 and 2: Poverty & Inequalities Profile Falk
Page 5: Poverty & Inequalities Profile Falk
Page 9 and 10: Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disableme
Page 11 and 12: Housing in Falkirk Poverty & Inequa
Page 13 and 14: Homelessness Poverty & Inequalities
Page 15 and 16: Debt Poverty & Inequalities Profile
Page 17 and 18: Debt Poverty & Inequalities Profile

Poverty & Inequalities Profile - Falkirk 2010 - Falkirk Council

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