Demographics and Communities

Location

Binley & Willenhall is a ward located in the south-eastern area of Coventry and is comprised of the Binley and Willenhall MSOAs as well as part of the Ernesford Grange and Stoke Aldermoor MSOA, the Ernesford Grange area.

Purple mapB&W map

Population

Why is this important?

It is important to understand how Coventry’s population and demographics are changing so that local communities and organisations can ensure that the city has the right services to meet the needs of its people.

What is the local picture? How does it compare?

Binley and Willenhall has grown by 6.5% in the past decade, with the population increasing between censuses from 16,700 in 2011 to 17,800 in 2021. This growth is slightly below the citywide rate of 8.9% from 316,900 people to 345,300 in 2021. The area has a population density of 4,095 people per square kilometre, which is by no means the highest, however it is higher than Coventry's average of 3,500.

Binley's median age is 43, older than the city average, while Willenhall's is younger at 34. The overall median age in Coventry is 35 and 40 for England. There are fewer young adults (18-24) in Binley and Willenhall compared to other areas, Coventry has a high number of people in this age group as it is home to many university students, but they do not typically live in Binley & Willenhall. The age profile of the population of the whole of Binley and Willenhall, compared to that for Coventry overall, is illustrated in the population pyramid diagram below.

B&W population pyramid

In Binley and Willenhall, 21.8% of residents are children (0-15), higher than the city's 19.8%, while 17.2% are aged 65+, falling between city (14.6%) and national (18.6%) averages. This is an important consideration for understanding the health needs of the population in this area. In Willenhall children (0-15) make up a quarter of the population (25.3%), while only 11.5% are aged 65 and over. In Binley, however, children (0-15) account for less than a fifth of the population (17.9%), whilst 22.1% are aged 65 and over, the proportion being as high as 30.3% in the neighbourhood ‘Binley - Oxenden Way’. Whilst overall the area does not stand out for having different demographic needs to the rest of the city, this masks a greater demand for services and support for children and families in Willenhall and for older residents in Binley.

The population of older people in Binley and Willenhall has grown by 7% over the past decade, slower than Coventry's 9% increase. The 2021 census showed that there were an estimated 3,100 people aged 65 years and over living in Binley and Willenhall, a 7% increase from an estimated 2,900 in 2011: a slower growth rate than the 9% across Coventry overall, and lower than the national average increase of 20%.

Nevertheless, the local population aged 65 and over has been increasing and will likely continue to increase. The population in the area increased notably amongst most the 50-59 age group, at a growth rate of 16% in 10 years, one of the age groups with faster growth rates.

Binley and Willenhall experienced a decrease in the population of residents aged 18-24, down by 18%, while this age group grew significantly for Coventry as a whole. The population of children followed a similar pattern to the city average, with a decrease (9%) in infants and young children aged 0-4, but a significant growth in the number of children aged 5-15 years, up by 22%. The working aged population (16- 64) grew by 5%.

Like Coventry overall, the total number of births to mothers living in Binley and Willenhall have declined, from 261 in 2017 to 206 in 2021, but the area's fertility rate remains higher than Coventry's average, at 56.8 births per 1,000 women (ages 15-44) compared to the city's 52.0. Fertility rates vary across the area, highest overall in Ernesford Grange neighbourhoods, with most parts higher than the Coventry average although not amongst the highest in the city. Some parts of Willenhall have higher than average fertility rates, ‘Willenhall Wood - Middle Ride’ with a rate of 74.1 per 1,000. Binley’s rate peaks at 76.9 per 1,000 in the ‘Binley Business Park - Bredon Avenue’ area.

The average household size in Binley and Willenhall is smaller than Coventry’s, with 2.34 people per household compared to the city's 2.48. The area has more single-person households, particularly those over 65 (13.3% vs. 11.6% citywide) and 20.5% are other single person households (people aged 65 and younger living on their own) compared to 18.8% across Coventry overall.

Lone parent households are more commonly found in Binley and Willenhall than is average for the city, particularly in Willenhall. 10.8% of all households in the area are lone parent households with dependent children (Coventry 8.3%) and 17.3% are couple family households (19.3%).

Lone parent households with dependent children are more common in Willenhall (14.6%), where 42.5% of households are either lone parents or people under 65 living alone compared to the city average of 27.0%. In contrast, Binley and Ernesford Grange have higher numbers of older people living alone, 16.4% and 13.5%, respectively compared to the city average of 11.6%.

We can understand more about our communities by using Geodemographic segmentation. The Acorn geodemographic profiler data model from CACI ltd categorises all UK households into 6 main categories ranked from most to least wealthy. In Binley and Willenhall, 92.8% of households fall into the three least wealthy groups, compared to 80% across Coventry. The most common household type in this area making up half of the local population are:

  • ‘Low income living – Single people in high-rise estates’ (18% vs. 7% citywide),
  • ‘Stretched Society – Young families on low incomes in rented terraces’ (17% vs. 14% across Coventry overall),
  • ‘Low Income Living – Families and single parents in socially rented housing’ (16% vs. 8%).

Health profiling shows that 95% of households in Binley and Willenhall fall into the three least healthy categories, compared to 85% citywide. The most notable groups are:

  • ‘Health Challenges – Hardship Heartlands’ (Relatively young people who are social renters with relatively unhealthy lifestyles; 25% of the local population, Coventry 7%);
  • ‘At risk – Struggling Smokers’ (Younger adults, on benefits, routine occupation, high expenditure on tobacco and hazardous drinking; 12% of the local population, 4% Coventry); and
  • ‘Caution – Everything in Moderation’ (mix of housing and family structure, health generally good; 11% of the local population, Coventry 7%).

Only 4% of the area's population falls into the healthiest group, compared to 15% in Coventry.

Diversity and cohesion

Why is this important?

The growth of new communities can change the age and ethnic profile of the city, which can have an impact on demand for local services such as schools and GP surgeries and is influenced by of many complex factors, such as living and working conditions, social inclusion, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, education, and cultural factors.

What is the local picture? How does it compare?

Binley and Willenhall is becoming more diverse, with 32.7% of the population belonging to an ethnic minority in 2021, up from 21.8% in 2011, though still below Coventry's 44.7%. We use ‘ethnic minorities’ to refer to all ethnic groups except the White British group. Ethnic minorities include white minorities, such as Gypsy, Roma, Irish Traveller and other white groups. 67.3% of the population are White British, a decrease by 10.9 percentage points from 78.1% in 2011, a decrease of 1,126 people.

In the 2021 Census, 7.7% of the residents of the area were Asian or Asian British, this is a 3.2 percentage point increase since the 2011 Census (4.5%). 11.3% of residents are Black, Black British, Caribbean or African, a 2.8 percentage point increase since the last census in 2011 at 8.5%. 3.1% are from mixed or multiple ethnic groups. Proportionally, the biggest change has been in the White: Other ethnic group with an increase of 3.6 points from 4.1% in the 2011 Census to 7.7% in the 2021 Census.

There are some variations between the neighbourhoods in the area. In Binley 71.7% of the population are of White: British ethnicity and 28.3% from an ethnic minority group, whereas Willenhall is more diverse with 59.5% of the population being White: British and 40.5% from an ethnic minority group.

Among schoolchildren who live in Binley and Willenhall, 44.6% are from an ethnic minority group, suggesting the area will continue to diversify. The largest ethnic minority groups amongst school pupils are the similar to those amongst the overall population, children of Black African ethnicity (17.5%), White Other ethnicity (7.9%) and Asian Indian ethnicity (4.6%).

Religious affiliation in Binley and Willenhall is diverse, though less so than Coventry overall. Of those who responded to the question on the 2021 census, 36.2% have no religion (Coventry 31.6%), and 52.9% are Christian (Coventry 46.8%). Islam is the second most followed religion accounting for 5.3% of residents (Coventry 11%), while 2.7% of the population are Hindu, 2.4% Sikh, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.1% Jewish, and 0.4% follow other religions. Religious distribution varies by area: in Willenhall, 7.8% are Muslim (2.4% in Binley), while Binley has more Sikhs (8.6%) and Hindus (5.1%) compared to Willenhall (0.7% and 2.2%).

In Binley and Willenhall, 12.6% of residents don't speak English as their main language, lower than Coventry's 17.5%. For school children living in Binley and Willenhall, 25.7% don't speak English as their main language, compared to 34.2% citywide. In 2021, 7.8% of households had no people with English as a main language, compared to 10.7% of households across Coventry. 1.6% of residents in Binley and Willenhall stated that they cannot speak English well and 0.3% could not speak English at all, this compares to 3.0% and 0.5% for Coventry overall.

Newly arrived communities contribute to local growth, though Binley and Willenhall have fewer recent arrivals than Coventry overall. Data from the Census 2021 shows 78.7% of Binley and Willenhall residents were UK-born, compared to 72.1% citywide. The census data also give a richer picture of recent migration: 9.3% of all Binley and Willenhall residents were born outside the UK and arrived in the UK in the previous 10 years, lower than the average for Coventry overall of 14.2%. There is variation between neighbourhoods in the area; Willenhall is home to the highest proportion at 13.0%, similar to the average for Coventry, but Ernesford Grange and Binley have lower values at 7.9% and 4.6% respectively.

Newly arrived communities to Coventry are from diverse sources, and include people migrating for economic reasons, international students and asylum seekers and refugees, amongst other reasons. We know that there are relatively few asylum seekers living in Binley and Willenhall, and international students do not form a significant part of the local population: 3.2% of the population is made up of all students aged 18+ (not just international students) compared to 9.8% for Coventry overall (and much higher in areas where students concentrate).

Binley and Willenhall have seen international migration in recent years, though less than many other Coventry areas. While measuring migration can be challenging, National Insurance Number (NINo) registrations provide insight into how the trends in movement have changed over recent years, particularly for people moving here for work, who may be on their own or with their family. Over the past decade, migration fluctuated, averaging just over 100 people per year, with an upward trend from 2011 to 2019 as they were across Coventry overall. In 2022, 254 people registered, up from 121 in 2021. This represents an increase back to levels higher than pre-pandemic years following a significant dip in migration in 2020. This is like the rest of Coventry, where the total number increased to a level nearly twice as high as pre-pandemic years.

Binley and Willenhall show lower cohesion compared with Coventry overall. Coventry Household Survey data indicates that less than half of residents (48%) agreed that their neighbourhood is a place where people from different backgrounds got on well together compared to 63% citywide, and 32% feel a sense of belonging said they felt a sense of belonging to their neighbourhood, compared to 54% in Coventry. After COVID-19, only 11% felt a stronger sense of belonging (13% citywide).

Survey responses show 24% of residents in Binley and Willenhall agreed that there are opportunities to get actively involved in improving their local, lower than respondents across the whole of Coventry (38%). However, 52% expressed interest in getting involved in their area in the next 12 months (51% citywide). Pre-pandemic volunteering by residents in the area was low at 4% but has since increased to 18% (Coventry 21%).

Cultural participation is low, particularly in Willenhall, where 50% reported minimal engagement (34% citywide). For Willenhall residents, overall attendance at Coventry City of Culture 2021/22 events was lower than the city average, with 26% saying they had attended at least one event in the city centre compared to the city average of 45%. 8% said they had attended an event based in their locality compared to the city average of 27%.