Demographics and Communities
Location
The data in this profile is aggregated from small areas on a best-fit basis, and therefore may differ slightly from other sources. This profile is made of two ‘MSOAs’, Bell Green and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (‘WEHM’). These are parts of wards; Bell Green is a part of Longford ward and WEHM is a part of Henley ward.
Population
Why is this important?
It is important to understand how Coventry’s population and demographics is 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?
Bell Green and WEHM is a growth area of the city, particularly Wood End, Henley Green, and Manor Farm (WEHM). Overall, the population has grown by 22% over the last 10 years, with an estimated 19,000 people living there. The number of people in Bell Green and WEHM grew by about 3,400 additional residents from 15,600 between the 2011 and 2021 censuses. Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm has been the second fastest growing part of the city, with a 36% increase in population, while Bell Green has a much lower growth rate of 6%, which is below the city average.
Population growth has been supported by new housing developments particularly in Wood End and near Alderman’s Green to the north of the area, these neighbourhoods have experienced the highest growth rates.
The population of the area is young, with a relatively high proportion of children and low proportion of older residents aged 65 and over. There is a difference between areas, Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) has a particularly young population. The WEHM area has a low median age of 31 compared to the city average of 35 and the national average of 40. In Bell Green, the residents are slightly older with a median age of 36 years.
The age profile of Bell Green and WEHM differs to that of the city overall, demonstrated by the population pyramid diagram. These areas have a notably younger population, with 26.7% of residents being children aged 0-15, compared to 19.8% for Coventry as a whole. In WEHM, this proportion is even higher at 29%, the largest in the city. In contrast to this the older population (aged 65+) is relatively small, at only 10.9% in Bell Green, compared to 14.6% in Coventry and 18.6% nationally. In WEHM, this number drops further to 9.4%.
Additionally, these areas have fewer young adults aged 18-24, a group more prevalent in Coventry due to its universities. However, university students tend not to reside in Bell Green or WEHM. This younger demographic composition, particularly the high percentage of children and fewer elderly, is important for understanding the specific health needs and services required for these communities.
Over the last decade, the population in Bell Green and WEHM has grown significantly, but this growth has been concentrated among children and working-aged adults, with no increase among older residents (65+). From 2011 to 2021, the area saw a 26% rise in the number of children aged 0-15, compared to only 9% for Coventry overall. Similarly, the population of working-aged adults also grew rapidly, with the 25-34 age group increasing by 36% (versus 7% for Coventry), the 35-49 group by 28% (versus 6%), and the 50-64 group by 31% (compared to 18% citywide). In contrast, the older population (65+) in Bell Green and WEHM declined by 2.7%, while Coventry as a whole saw an 8.2% increase in this group. This decline means the area has a smaller elderly population compared to the city average, and this trend is ongoing.
The differences in population growth between Bell Green, WEHM, and Coventry reflect a shifting demographic profile, with the area's younger and working-age population expanding rapidly. This demographic change influences the local needs for services, especially in education, childcare, and employment support.
The birth rate in the Bell Green and WEHM area is significantly higher than average. In 2021 there were 313 live births to mothers living in the area, a fertility rate of 73.8 births per 1,000 resident females aged 15-44, much higher than the city average at 52.0. The fertility rate in the WEHM area is the highest in the city at 79.6 and is 64.7 in Bell Green, still notably higher than average. The number of births has been falling in Bell Green in recent years, from 132 in 2013 to 106 in 2021, whereas births have increased WEHM, from 159 in 2013 to 207 in 2021.
Bell Green and WEHM have more households with dependent children, especially lone-parent households, and fewer elderly households. The area has the highest proportion of lone-parent households with dependent children across the city, making up 15.3% of all households (1,134 households) compared to just 8.3% for Coventry as a whole. This highlights the area's significant number of single-parent families, which may indicate a greater need for family support services, childcare, and educational resources. One-person households account for 29.2% of all households in the area, close to Coventry’s average of 30.4%.
One-person households made up of an older person aged over 65 or a single-family household in which all people are aged over 65 make up 10.4% (771) and 3.8% (280) of all households in the Bell Green and WEHM area compared to 11.6% and 6.8% across Coventry overall. 20.1% (1,489) of all households are couple family households with dependent children compared to 19.3% across Coventry overall.
Household composition varies a little across the area, Bell Green has a higher number of one person households of people aged 65 or younger at 20.9% and Henley Green & Wood End at 17.0% (Coventry 18.8%).
The average household size in Bell Green and WEHM area is 2.56 people compared to 2.48 for Coventry overall. Household size is higher in Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) at 2.66, with the average in Bell Green at 2.44.
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. Almost all (99.4%, compared to 80.0% across Coventry overall) people living in households in the area are categorised in the three less wealthy of the six categories. Half (49.9%) are categorised in the least wealthy category, ‘Low Income Living’.
Moreover, the three groups of households that are most prevalent in this area account for two-thirds of the population; they are:
- ‘Low Income Living: Cash-Strapped Families’ – A lot of families and single parents with young children who live in social housing depend on benefits. 33% of the residents in Bell Green and WEHM compared to 8% of the whole of Coventry.
- ‘Stretched Society: Hard-Up Households’ – Young families with low incomes who live in rented terrace houses. 18% of Bell Green and WEHM residents compared to 14% of Coventry residents.
- ‘Low Income Living: Challenging Circumstances’ – Single people across all ages, living in high rise estates. People living in this type of household make up 15% of the population of Bell Green and WEHM compared to 7% across Coventry overall.
Acorn Wellbeing divides households into types according to their health needs. In Bell Green and WEHM, a relatively large proportion are categorised in the less healthy groups.
The main 4 groups that Acorn Wellbeing uses to classify residents are:
- Health Challenges (highest levels of illness, often areas with higher elderly population) - 29% of Bell Green and WEHM population compared to 12% across Coventry overall.
- At Risk - More than half (58%) of the people who live in Bell Green & WEHM, higher than Coventry at 39%.
- Caution - A much lower proportion of the population, 12%, live in group 3 households in Bell Green and WEHM compared to the city at 33%.
- Healthy (more affluent neighbourhoods with low levels of illness given their age). 1% of the Bell Green and WEHM population compared to 15% across Coventry overall.
Looking in more detail, the three most notable subsets of types in this area are:
- ‘Health Challenges – Hardship Heartlands’ (Relatively young people who are social renters with relatively unhealthy lifestyle; 22% of Bell Green and WEHM population, compared to Coventry 7%).
- ‘At Risk - Struggling Smokers’ (Younger adults, on benefits, routine occupation, high expenditure on tobacco and hazardous drinking; 20% of the local population, compared to 4% Coventry).
- ‘At Risk - Everyday Excesses’ (Terraced houses, young singles and couples, doing alright, semi routine occupations, lack of adequate heating & high alcohol & smoking and low medication;19% of Bell Green and WEHM, compared to 19% Coventry)
Diversity
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?
Bell Green and WEHM is becoming an increasingly diverse area, 47.1% of the population being part of an ethnic minority group compared to 44.7% in Coventry as a whole. 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.
In the 2021 Census, 47.1% of Bell Green and WEHM’s population were a part of an ethnic minority group, an increase of 16.7 percentage points from 30.4% in 2011. This is a greater increase in ethnic diversity than seen for Coventry overall (11.3 percentage point increase).
In Bell Green and WEHM, Black African formed the largest ethnic minority group, comprising 12.9% of the population, up from 8.7% in 2011 an additional 1,100 people and higher than the 7% Coventry average. 'Other White' ethnicity, mainly from European countries, grew from 3.8% to 11.5% between the 2011 and 2021 census, an additional 1,600 people. These two groups saw the greatest population increases.
While both parts of the area have relatively large ethnic minority populations, Bell Green at 44.5% and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) at 49.0%, there is some variation between their populations. Bell Green has higher populations of people of Asian or Asian British ethnicity, with 7.8% identifying as Asian Indian (compared to 2.3% in WEHM), 3.4% as ‘Asian Other’ (compared to 1.9% in WEHM), and 2.9% as Asian Pakistani (compared to 1.0% in WEHM). The WEHM area has higher populations of Black African people (16.7% compared to 7.7% in Bell Green) and people of ‘Other White’ ethnicity (13.6% compared to 8.6% in Bell Green).
In Bell Green and WEHM, a higher proportion of school children belong to ethnic minorities than the overall population. In the 2021 school census, 59.0% of pupils were from ethnic minorities. The largest minority groups among students were Black African (20.1%) and 'Other White' (12.4%), mirroring the general population.
The residents of Bell Green and WEHM have diverse religious backgrounds, although a little less diverse than across Coventry as a whole. 33.4% of those who responded to the question (6% gave no answer) said they had no religion, which is higher than the average of 31.6% for all Coventry residents. Christianity is the most common religion, with 51.2% of the residents following it compared to 46.8% for Coventry overall. Islam is the next most practiced religion, with 9.2% compared to 11.0% for Coventry overall. There are fewer Sikhs, with 2.7% for Bell Green and WEHM, compared to 5.3% for Coventry overall. There are also fewer Hindu residents, with 2.5%, compared to 4.2% for Coventry overall. There are differences between the neighbourhoods of Bell Green and WEHM. In Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM), more residents are Christian (54.1%) than in Bell Green (47.3%). In Bell Green there are more Sikh (5.3%) and Hindu (3.6%) residents than in WEHM, where the percentages are 0.8% and 1.8% respectively.
The Bell Green and WEHM area has a diversity of first languages amongst its residents. In the 2021 Census 19.5% of residents (aged 3+) stated that English is not their main language, compared to 17.5% of city overall. Many of these can speak some level of English, only 3.3% of residents in this area cannot speak English well and 0.6% cannot speak English at all. This is slightly above the city average, across Coventry overall 3.0% cannot speak English well and 0.5% cannot speak the language at all. Not being able to speak English for this relatively small number of people may create difficulties in accessing services.
The most popularly spoken language other than English across Bell Green and WEHM is Polish, spoken by 5.8% of residents, higher than the city average of 2.3%. ‘Other European languages’ are spoken by 3.4%, which is lower than the city average of 3.7%. ‘African languages’ are spoken by 2.4%, which is above the city average of 1.2%. Panjabi is spoken by 1.7%, which is below the city average of 2.3%. There is a difference between Bell Green and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM). In the WEHM area there are more Polish speakers, making up 7.6% of residents compared to 3.3% in Bell Green. In Bell Green there are more Panjabi speakers, making up 3.6% of residents compared to 0.3% in WEHM.
The main languages spoken by school pupils living in Bell Green and WEHM are: Polish (8.0%), Panjabi (2%), Tamil (2%), Swahili (2%) and French (2%).
Newly arrived communities are integral to the local population and the recent population growth. Many people have moved here from other countries. The area of Bell Green and WEHM has welcomed new communities from different countries, and the percentage of residents who were born in another country is 29.4%, which is higher than the city average of 27.9%. The percentage of all residents whose country of birth is in the EU countries is 12.8%, higher than the city average of 10.1%. The next highest world area is Africa, 8.6% of Bell Green and WEHM’s residents were born in a country in Africa compared to 5.5% across Coventry overall. Poland (6.0% of all residents), India (2.3% of all residents), Romania (1.9% of all residents) and Nigeria (1.3% of all residents) are the most frequent countries of origin for these residents. This varies slightly between neighbourhoods, in Bell Green, 26.7% of the residents were born outside the UK, while in WEHM, the figure is 31.3%.
The population of Bell Green and WEHM increased for both UK born and non-UK born residents over the decade from 2011 to 2021, but the number of people who came to live in Bell Green and WEHM from other countries over the past 10 years has been slightly lower than the average for Coventry areas. The Census 2021 shows that 13.0% of its residents were born outside the UK and came to the UK in the last 10 years, lower than the Coventry average of 14.2%. On population growth in the 10 years up to 2021, there were an additional 767 UK born people and 2,617 non-UK born people - most of the growth was among people who were born in EU countries, a growth of 1,471, followed by a growth of 583 among people who were born in Africa and a growth of 495 among people who were born in Asia.
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. Relatively few students live in Bell Green and WEHM, and while there are some asylum seekers living in the area, the number is very low compared to other forms of migration and is relatively low compared to other parts of the city.
Measuring international migration is not easy due to the availability of accurate data, but looking at the number of foreign nationals who live in Coventry and who register for a National Insurance Number (NINo) for the first time can show us something about this and how the patterns of movement have changed over recent years. In 2022, 360 people registered for a NINo in Bell Green and WEHM, a lower number per head than average for Coventry. This represents an increase back to levels similar to pre-pandemic years following a significant dip in migration in 2020. However, unlike the rest of Coventry, where the total number overall increased to a level nearly twice as high as pre-pandemic years, this was not the case for Bell Green and WEHM. In this area the numbers peaked in 2016, and it reduced in the following years, the 2022 numbers were still lower than in 2016. In recent years the number of people moving from EU countries has reduced and has increased amongst people from South Asia and Africa.
There are indications, from responses to the Coventry Household Survey 2022, that community cohesion may not be quite as good here as it is across Coventry overall. Less than half of the people who live in Bell Green and WEHM area (49%), said that they agree that people from different backgrounds have good relations. This is below the average for the city (63%). Additionally, only half (50%) of Bell Green and WEHM residents said they felt a sense of belonging to their local community, slightly lower than the city average (54%). Only a small proportion (14%), said they felt more of a sense of belonging to their local community following the COVID-19 pandemic, slightly higher than the city average of 13%. The local area had a lower rate of volunteering than the Coventry average before the pandemic: 14% compared to 20%. But after that, this rate increased to 20%, similar to the Coventry average of 21%. On a positive note, nearly two thirds (63%) said that they were likely to get more actively involved in their community over the next 12 months, higher than the city average of 51%.
According to responses to the Coventry Household Survey 2022, levels of 'cultural participation' amongst Bell Green and WEHM residents appear around average. 39% of Bell Green residents indicated that they had low levels of cultural participation, compared to 34% across Coventry, and 25% in the WEHM area. ‘Low’ participation is defined as respondents who had not engaged in any of a list of cultural activities at least three times in the previous 12 months. As it had across Coventry overall, indications are that levels of participation increased in these areas between 2018 and 2022, likely influenced by the Coventry City of Culture 2021/22. 47% of Bell Green and WEHM residents reported going to at least one City of Culture event, while the city's average was 45%. The percentage of people who went to events in their area was 21%, slightly below the city's average of 27%.