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Colchester · England

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Colchester council area. Every figure carries its own date.

Choose a ward to see its people, homes, health and mapped crime. These are electoral neighbourhoods within the council area; some extend beyond the city itself.

Colchester

BerechurchCastleGreensteadHighwoodsLexden and BraiswickMarks Tey and LayerMersea and PyefleetMile EndNew Town and Christ ChurchOld Heath and The HythePrettygateRural NorthSt Anne's and St John'sShrub EndStanwayTiptreeWivenhoe
17 mapped electoral wards · May 2026. The same wards are available in the named list below. These are council boundaries, not police neighbourhoods.
Colchester: 17 wards · boundaries May 2026
WardPeople in censusPrivately rented homesBad or very bad health
Berechurch11,23517%5.4%
Castle11,31442%4.7%
Greenstead14,67131%5.8%
Highwoods10,50227%4%
Lexden and Braiswick9,60913%3.6%
Marks Tey and Layer11,14811%3.1%
Mersea and Pyefleet9,86211%5.1%
Mile End14,23326%2.9%
New Town and Christ Church14,67237%3.6%
Old Heath and The Hythe12,76224%4.5%
Prettygate10,44410%3.8%
Rural North10,80910%3.4%
St Anne's and St John's10,79213%5.1%
Shrub End12,43830%3.7%
Stanway9,61213%4.2%
Tiptree9,62613%4.3%
Wivenhoe8,98418%3.5%

Look beneath the council average

Homes rented privately

10% to 42.4%

Homes rented privately ranged from 10% in Rural North to 42.4% in Castle — a gap of 32.4 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 17 of 17 current wards with comparable figures.

A larger private-rented sector changes the mix of housing advice, enforcement and tenant support needed. It does not tell us whether individual homes are affordable or safe.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

Homes rented privately · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Rural North10%4364,371
Prettygate10.1%4354,300
Mersea and Pyefleet10.8%4794,455
Marks Tey and Layer11.2%4944,394
Lexden and Braiswick12.6%5033,980
Tiptree12.7%5224,113
St Anne's and St John's12.9%5804,502
Stanway13.4%5374,011
Berechurch17.4%7774,453
Wivenhoe17.7%6033,405
Old Heath and The Hythe23.6%1,2795,409
Mile End26%1,4895,728
Highwoods27.2%1,1994,413
Shrub End30%1,3624,541
Greenstead31.1%1,7695,682
New Town and Christ Church36.7%2,3456,397
Castle42.4%2,3555,555
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →

People reporting bad or very bad health

2.9% to 5.8%

People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.9% in Mile End to 5.8% in Greenstead — a gap of 2.9 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 17 of 17 current wards with comparable figures.

Residents described their own health. Differences in age matter, so this is a prompt to investigate needs, not a score for local health services.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People reporting bad or very bad health · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Mile End2.9%41514,233
Marks Tey and Layer3.1%34711,148
Rural North3.4%37210,811
Wivenhoe3.5%3178,985
Lexden and Braiswick3.6%3429,609
New Town and Christ Church3.6%52614,672
Shrub End3.7%46412,438
Prettygate3.8%39910,444
Highwoods4%42310,502
Stanway4.2%4069,612
Tiptree4.3%4159,628
Old Heath and The Hythe4.5%58012,760
Castle4.7%53611,314
St Anne's and St John's5.1%55010,792
Mersea and Pyefleet5.1%5059,860
Berechurch5.4%60711,235
Greenstead5.8%85414,671
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →

People aged 65 or over

8.2% to 34.6%

People aged 65 or over ranged from 8.2% in Mile End to 34.6% in Mersea and Pyefleet — a gap of 26.4 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 17 of 17 current wards with comparable figures.

Age helps locate demand for accessible homes, transport and support. Being older does not itself mean someone needs care.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 65 or over · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Mile End8.2%1,16414,232
Shrub End9.6%1,19912,438
New Town and Christ Church10.4%1,53014,673
Highwoods11.3%1,18510,502
Greenstead12.8%1,88514,671
Berechurch13.7%1,54411,235
Old Heath and The Hythe14.2%1,81412,762
Castle16.3%1,84611,314
Marks Tey and Layer19.1%2,13111,148
Stanway21.4%2,0529,611
Wivenhoe21.4%1,9208,983
St Anne's and St John's23.7%2,55610,791
Lexden and Braiswick23.8%2,2839,609
Rural North24.6%2,65710,807
Prettygate24.9%2,59710,444
Tiptree26.3%2,5369,628
Mersea and Pyefleet34.6%3,4129,862
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

9.3% to 20.7%

People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 9.3% in Mile End to 20.7% in St Anne's and St John's — a gap of 11.4 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 17 of 17 current wards with comparable figures.

Formal qualifications are only one part of someone's skills. Training decisions also need current vacancies, employment and residents' experience.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 16+ with no qualifications · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Mile End9.3%1,01210,924
Wivenhoe10.6%8247,746
New Town and Christ Church12.1%1,39911,571
Lexden and Braiswick12.4%9877,930
Highwoods13%1,0688,220
Castle13.3%1,2609,483
Marks Tey and Layer14.3%1,2738,921
Rural North15%1,3438,948
Shrub End15.3%1,4169,251
Old Heath and The Hythe16.3%1,69010,369
Stanway16.4%1,2727,743
Prettygate16.8%1,4438,581
Mersea and Pyefleet18%1,5548,623
Greenstead18.3%2,26812,369
Berechurch20.2%1,7558,686
Tiptree20.3%1,6398,082
St Anne's and St John's20.7%1,8378,890
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

22.8% to 44.5%

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent ranged from 22.8% in Tiptree to 44.5% in Mile End — a gap of 21.7 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 17 of 17 current wards with comparable figures.

Qualifications show local skills, not whether people have secure jobs or use those skills at work.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Tiptree22.8%1,8418,082
Greenstead23.3%2,88112,369
Berechurch24.4%2,1208,686
St Anne's and St John's27.1%2,4078,890
Old Heath and The Hythe27.6%2,85910,369
Shrub End29%2,6859,251
Stanway29.2%2,2607,743
Mersea and Pyefleet29.8%2,5698,623
Prettygate31.1%2,6668,581
Marks Tey and Layer31.7%2,8268,921
Highwoods34.4%2,8288,220
Rural North35.7%3,1988,948
Wivenhoe37.6%2,9097,746
Lexden and Braiswick38.7%3,0657,930
New Town and Christ Church39.6%4,58411,571
Castle40.6%3,8469,483
Mile End44.5%4,85710,924
Source and method →
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Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

10.6% to 24.6%

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 10.6% in Rural North to 24.6% in Greenstead — a gap of 14 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 17 of 17 current wards with comparable figures.

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

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Rural North10.6%4624,372
Marks Tey and Layer10.7%4684,393
Lexden and Braiswick11%4363,980
Wivenhoe11.1%3773,405
Mile End11.2%6395,727
New Town and Christ Church14.4%9236,397
Castle14.5%8035,556
Mersea and Pyefleet14.7%6554,457
Prettygate14.7%6334,303
Tiptree14.9%6144,112
Stanway15.2%6114,011
Highwoods15.9%7034,415
Shrub End16.6%7534,540
St Anne's and St John's19%8554,500
Old Heath and The Hythe19.5%1,0565,408
Berechurch19.9%8844,453
Greenstead24.6%1,3975,682
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

4.5% to 31.9%

Homes rented from a council or housing association ranged from 4.5% in Wivenhoe to 31.9% in Greenstead — a gap of 27.4 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 17 of 17 current wards with comparable figures.

The share of social housing describes the homes already here. It does not show the current waiting list or whether enough suitable homes are available.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

Homes rented from a council or housing association · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Wivenhoe4.5%1523,405
Mersea and Pyefleet6.5%2914,455
Lexden and Braiswick6.6%2643,980
Tiptree6.7%2744,113
Prettygate8.1%3494,300
Marks Tey and Layer8.1%3574,394
Rural North8.4%3664,371
New Town and Christ Church9.4%5996,397
Castle11.1%6165,555
Stanway11.2%4484,011
Mile End12.4%7125,728
St Anne's and St John's13.3%6014,502
Highwoods13.8%6114,413
Old Heath and The Hythe21.2%1,1485,409
Berechurch21.4%9554,453
Shrub End22.7%1,0324,541
Greenstead31.9%1,8105,682
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →