What is the Coventry Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)?

Introduction 

Welcome to the Bell Green and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) profile. Coventry is divided into 18 electoral ward areas; while the areas profiled for the JSNA were not specifically designed around ward boundaries, these areas are parts of Longford Ward (Bell Green) and Henley Ward (WEHM) This profile is made up of two ‘MSOAs’, Bell Green and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM). 

Bell Green and WEHM profile are one of the six places in Coventry profiled as part of the JSNA. The map below illustrates the Bell Green and WEHM area covered in the profile, alongside the other five places.   

What is the Coventry Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)? 

The JSNA brings together evidence about the health and wellbeing of Coventry residents, to help leaders across health and care understand and work together to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Coventry. 

Health is more than the healthcare system: it is not just about NHS hospitals, doctors or nurses. Instead, health is about people’s lives. Indeed, people’s health is determined by their economic and social circumstances, such as: 

• their communities - whether they have access to a good network of family and friends. 
• their prospects - whether they have access to good jobs and education; and  
• their environment - whether they live in a good neighbourhood with access to green spaces.  

These social circumstances determine people’s health and wellbeing, and therefore, are known as social determinants of health. 

This JSNA contains a full range of evidence to provide decision-makers with an understanding of local people and communities. It contains a lot of numbers and statistics, because these are essential to show the trends of how things have changed, as well as comparisons with other places. However, because health is about people, this JSNA also contains a lot of evidence from local people and local community groups. 

 About this JSNA 

This JSNA is one of the six places in Coventry that was profiled in 2023 and 2024 by Coventry City Council with co-operation from partners across the Coventry Health and Wellbeing Board and ideas contributed by community organisations and residents. In April 2018, the Coventry Health and Wellbeing Board authorised a move towards a place-based approach to the JSNA, with the production of a citywide JSNA profile and JSNA profiles for six local areas.  

Since the production of the last JSNA, there have been huge external influences on the health and wellbeing of our residents. The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on inequalities within our communities and has fundamentally altered our lives. There have been changes to what we value, our communities and how they function, our ways of working and to our economy. The data within this profile reflects these changes. 

Each JSNA profile is structured as follows: 

• Demographics and Community 
• Prospects 
• Environment  
• Health and Wellbeing. 

For each topic area covered, the JSNA explores: 

• Why is this important? 
• What is the local picture? How does it compare? 
• What is happening? What else can be done? 

In addition to the JSNA profiles, detailed statistical data and evidence is available in the citywide intelligence hub [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/citywideintelhub]. The hub provides tools to compare and contrast metrics and indicators of all kinds. 

Despite every effort to ensure the information in this profile is accurate and up to date, it may become less reliable over time. 

The following profile uses various data sources and statistics that cover local neighbourhoods within the city. It compares statistics to those of Coventry as a whole and other neighbourhoods, using Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) and Mid-layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) as the geographic units. These are areas where the boundaries have been defined by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and used by the ONS and other bodies to publish local area statistics. LSOAs and MSOAs cover the whole of England and Wales, there are 42 MSOAs that cover all parts of Coventry and each of these are divided into LSOAs, typically 4 to 6 per MSOA. The profiles highlight key strengths and challenges of each area, though data availability at the neighbourhood level may vary. For citywide data, refer to the Coventry Citywide JSNA profile. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/facts-coventry/coventry-citywide-profile-2023] 

Executive Summary

Demographics and Communities 

Bell Green and the WEHM area have experienced a rapid population growth of 22% over the past decade, reaching 19,000 residents. This growth rate is among the highest in the city, surpassing Coventry’s average growth rate of 9%. The area is characterised by a youthful demographic, with a significant increase in children aged 0-15 and working-age adults, particularly those aged 25-34. There are fewer older residents (65+), and the number of lone-parent households is notably high at 15.3%, compared to the city’s 8.3%. 

The community is diverse, with 47.1% from an ethnic minority group, slightly above the city average. Additionally, 29.4% of residents were born outside the UK, though recent migration rates are slightly lower than Coventry’s average. Community cohesion is also lower, as reported in the 2022 Coventry Household Survey, community cohesion appears to be lower compared to the rest of Coventry.

Bell Green and WEHM share similar health and well-being challenges, despite some differences. WEHM has a younger population, while Bell Green has more residents of Asian or Asian British descent, and WEHM has larger Black African and ‘Other White’ populations. 

Prospects 

Avoidable differences in health start to emerge by the time a child reaches the age of 5. Fewer children (56.2%) in Bell Green and WEHM reach a good level of development compared to the Coventry (61.1%) and national averages (65.2%) in 2021/22. Contributing factors include higher rates of low birth weight, delayed antenatal care, fewer health visitor reviews, higher smoking rates during pregnancy, lower breastfeeding rates, and higher child poverty.  

Educational outcomes are also challenging, At the end of year 6 (key stage 2), the attainment performance for students in Bell Green and WEHM is below the average for Coventry, this gap widens through secondary school. Adults have lower levels of formal qualifications compared to the rest of the city.  

Unemployment and economic inactivity are higher than average, contributing to low employment rates and low household incomes, which are among the lowest in Coventry. Despite these challenges, the unemployment rate has improved over the past decade, decreasing more than in many other parts of the city. However, financial stress remains high due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. 

Housing and Environment 

According to the Household Survey 2022, satisfaction with the local area is low at 55%, down 21 percentage points since 2018, compared to a 66% citywide. While access to green spaces is generally good, the quality varies. Air pollution remains a concern, with high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM), which poses health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups. 

42.3% of homes in the area are socially rented, exceeding the city average of 17%. The area also has a high rate of overcrowding (12.0% of households) compared to 7.7% citywide. Crime rates, especially for violent crime, are higher than average, leading to decreased feelings of safety, particularly at night.  

Health and Wellbeing 

Life expectancy in Bell Green and WEHM is below the city average, with a significant gap for males. Premature mortality rates are higher than city and national averages, indicating that residents face not only shorter lifespans but also more of their life in poorer health overall.  

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed these health disparities, although mortality rates were only slightly above national averages. Residents reported a greater impact from the pandemic, with lower vaccination rates among older residents for flu and COVID-19. 

HIV is a concern, with WEHM having one of the highest rates in Coventry. While GP access is good, satisfaction with services has declined.  

Several lifestyle factors are disproportionately affecting the health of Bell Green and WEHM residents: smoking rates are higher than average, and despite lower alcohol consumption, alcohol-related hospital admissions are among the highest in Coventry. Childhood obesity rates, especially in WEHM, are also higher than average. Teenage conception rates remain high in Bell Green and WEHM with the area having one of the highest rates in Coventry. 

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:

1. ‘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.
2. ‘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.
3. ‘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:

1. 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.
2. At Risk - More than half (58%) of the people who live in Bell Green & WEHM, higher than Coventry at 39%.
3. 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%.
4. 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%.

Community Assets

Why is this important?

Understanding the local network of assets, resources and community organisations help facilitate sharing and understanding to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities. 

The Community Information Directory [https://cid.coventry.gov.uk/kb5/coventry/directory/adult.page?adultchannel=3] is also a useful tool for knowing what groups, events and activities are happening in the area.

The Community Resilience Team has worked with a variety of groups to gain funding and support in Bell Green and the WEHM area, below is a table of groups and assets known to the team in the area at the time of writing.  

Groups

• Silver Surfers 
• Friends of Moat House Park
• Integrity – Youth Group
• Deedmore Residents Association
• Coventry City Mission
• Zion Unity Community
• Soul Sister 
• Mizizi Boy’s Mentorship
• Settlement Support CIC

Assets

• Moat House Community Trust 
• Bell Green Community Centre 
• Henley Green Community Centre
• Henley Green Social Supermarket 
• Moat House Neighbourhood & Leisure Centre
• Wood End Community Centre
• Deedmore Christian Centre
• Coventry Christian Fellowship Church
• St Chad's Church
• North Point Church
• Walsgrave Baptist Church
• Walsgrave Working Men’s Club
• Park Edge (Bell Green) 
• Moat House Family Hub 
• Henley Green Medical Centre
• Wood End Health Care & Dental Surgery
• Bell Green Surgery 
• Bell Green Library
• St Laurence’s 

Residents highlighted the importance of considering their views and feeling like they have an influence over decisions that are made. Residents in Bell Green and WEHM area emphasised a need for more local consultations so that they could feel like they have a say in decisions affecting their area. Particularly engaging with those that are more difficult to engage, expanding opportunities and methods so that the process is more inclusive for everyone.

“Talk to the people who live in Coventry, to give their views.”

“Better communication and a more diverse way so that the non-engagers will engage”.

Moat House and Park Edge Family Hub collaborate and coordinate a range of services in the area. It could also be used to make connections with individuals and maximise the success of partnerships.

Residents in Bell Green and WEHM value their community spaces and see opportunities to work together and do more.
Community spaces are an asset in the area, acting as hubs that bring people together and provide essential services that contribute to the well-being of residents. They provide a support network to individuals facing challenges as well as creating a space for residents to organise events, clubs, and activities. It is important to consider diverse communities when considering access to help and services. Ensuring clearer signposting and understanding to what is available is vital to the community.

Bell Green Community Centre became a #CovConnects Partner in July 2023 through the #CovConnects Device Bank where they received digital devices in the form of Wi-Fi connectivity dongles and Chromebook. They were given the devices in order to support the people who attend the community centre and its various groups. One of the longstanding groups that Bell Green Community Centre hosts are the Silver Surfers, a digital skills support group for older people. Receiving Chromebooks and Wi-Fi dongles has enabled the Silver Surfers to carry out their sessions uninterrupted, previously they reported their sessions would "grind to a halt", however now equipped with digital devices from the #CovConnects Device Bank, they can learn valuable digital skills at their leisure.

“Treat each location/area as an individual area and ensure consultation takes place with residents in the area.”

“Be more accessible and visible in the communities.”

Prospects

Why is this important? 

Understanding Coventry's economic, cultural, educational, and early childhood prospects can help us better understand the effects these factors have on the wellbeing of the local populations. A person's lifelong health, happiness, and productivity are affected by preventable health inequalities that can arise during pregnancy, childbirth, and the early years. 

Best start in life 

Why is this important?  

“Giving every child the best start in life is crucial for securing health and reducing health inequalities across the life course. The foundations for virtually every aspect of human development – physical, intellectual, and emotional – are laid in early childhood. What happens during these early years, starting in the womb, has life-long effects on many aspects of health and well-being”. - Sir Michael Marmot 

What is the local picture? How does it compare? 

By age five, fewer children (56.2%) in Bell Green and WEHM reach a good level of development compared to the Coventry (61.1%) and national averages (65.2%) in 2021/22. A child’s development level is measured at the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) on early learning goals in the main areas of learning: personal, social, and emotional development; physical development; and communication and language and the early learning goals in the specific areas of mathematics and literacy. Overall, rates are similar in Bell Green (55.2%) and WEHM (56.8%) separately, but there is some variation at neighbourhood level. Neighbourhoods to the south of the WEHM area, covering Manor Farm and Henley Green East had rates among the lowest in the city, below 50%, whereas around Wood End, by Hillmorton and Deedmore Roads, two-thirds (66%) of five-year-olds were assessed as being at a good level of development in 2021/22, better than average for Coventry.  

Between 2018-2022, the percentage of all babies born at low weight (under 2500g) in Bell and WEHM was higher than the Coventry average. Low birthweight is often associated with premature birth, Coventry has relatively high numbers of babies that are born prematurely, leading to a higher number of babies born at low weight. Between 2018-2022 the number of babies born at low birth weight in the Bell Green and WEHM area was 9.6%. This is higher than the Coventry average of 8.6% and the national average 6.8% (in 2021) 

Uptake rates for funded early years childcare places is better than average in Bell Green and WEHM. Free early education for 15 hours per week is available for two-year-olds whose parents get certain benefits. Also, all three- and four-year-olds can get free education for 15 hours. In 2023, 82% of eligible two-year-olds living in Bell Green and WEHM received funded childcare, compared to 75% in Coventry overall and 72% nationally. 89% of three and four-year-olds were in funded childcare, which is higher than the Coventry average of 88%, but lower than the national average of 92%. 

Antenatal check-ups are routine for pregnant women to monitor the health of both them and their baby during pregnancy, the proportion of first appointments that take place within 12 weeks is lower than the city average in this area.  In 2022-23, only 75.0% of pregnant women from Bell Green and WEHM had their first antenatal appointment in the first 12 weeks, which is lower than the city average of 80.3%. At 72.1%, WEHM has one of the lower rates in the city; it is slightly higher in Bell Green at 78.7%, but still lower than average for Coventry.  

The proportion of children who received a review by the time they are 2 ½ years old is also lower than the city average. A smaller proportion of children aged 2 to 2 ½ years from Bell Green and WEHM area got a timely health visitor review in 2022-23 than the city average of Coventry, 65% compared to 75%. The separate areas Bell Green and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) had rates among the lowest of all areas in Coventry, at 62% and 66% respectively. 

Both mother and baby can suffer serious and harmful effects from smoking during pregnancy, and this area has more new mothers who smoke at delivery than other areas. In the 4 years between 2019/20 and 2022/23, the percentage of new mothers who smoked at delivery in Bell Green and WEHM area was 16.6%, which was higher than the Coventry average of 10.5%.  

Breastfeeding prevalence is lower than the Coventry average amongst mothers from Bell Green and WEHM. The prevalence of breastfeeding initiation in Bell Green and WEHM is low compared to the Coventry average. In 2022-23, 62.9% of new mothers gave their babies breast milk within two days of delivery, which is lower than the Coventry average of 72.2%. As baby gets older breastfeeding rates remain relatively low. In 2023 only 48.0% of the babies from Bell Green and WEHM who got a health visitor check at 6 to 8 weeks were fully or partly breastfed. This was much less than the average for the city, which was 58.2%.  There is a little variation across the area, Bell Green has some of the lowest rates in the city, an initiation rate of 60.0% and a rate of 38.3% at 6-8 weeks. Rates are a little higher in WEHM, although still lower than average, with initiation rates of 65.3% and rates of 53.5% at 6-8 weeks.   

In Bell Green and WEHM, there are many more children under 16 living in relative poverty than in the city overall. In 2021/22, a third (33.5%) of all children in Bell Green and WEHM lived in relative poverty, which is an estimated 1,700 children. This is much higher than 26.7% for Coventry and 19.9% for England. Relative poverty has been rising in Coventry and elsewhere since 2014/15. Providing better access to support and services and tackling the root causes of relative poverty can help children have more chances to succeed.  

What else is happening? 
What else can be done? 

Health visitors can help children and families make the best start in life. NHS Health visitors are very active in the area. They visit all parents with children under the age of 5 in the city and offer health promotion and write developmental reviews during their home visits to promote childhood development. Schools, faith groups and community centres can work together to help reach socially isolated families, helping bring support to those who need it.  

The Family Hubs in the area (Moat House and Park Edge) are highlighted as an asset in the community. Moat House and Park Edge Family hub, located in Henley and Bell Green, help co-ordinate early intervention and support. By bringing together different professionals such as, Health visitors, social workers, midwives, police, and others the hub can offer holistic and tailored support to families who face challenges. 

Community and voluntary groups also play a vital role in supporting families and young people. Moat House Community Trust works in partnership with other organisations to identify isolated and vulnerable residents, encouraging them to take part in preventative and early help activities. The aim of the charity is to support residents in establishing networks of relationships through sharing and understanding experiences. 

Education and Skills

Why is this important? 

Poor work chances, social isolation, and difficulties with mental and physical health are just a few of the social disadvantages that people could potentially face later in life as a result of low educational attainment and low expectations. By supporting high levels of educational attainment and boosting their expectations, these barriers can be removed so that children and young people realise their full potential in life. 

There have been significant disruptions to education over recent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing schools to close and move to digital classrooms. It is fair to say that this has had an impact on education and some children’s school readiness as a result. Therefore, the Department of Education are reluctant to directly compare attainment statistics between 2019-2022, we have included some for your information here. 

What is the local picture? 
How does it compare? 

Bell Green and WEHM as an area has four schools, two primary schools, one secondary school and one special school. Ofsted, which stands for the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, checks the quality of services that offer education and training for learners and oversees services that look after children and young people. Out of these schools, one has an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating, two have a ‘Good’ rating and one has not yet received a rating. In May 2023, 74.4% of children who live in the Bell Green and WEHM attended a school rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. 15.1% went to a school rated as ‘Requires improvement’ or ‘Inadequate’ and 10.4% attended a school that had not yet been inspected. This means that, out of those whose school had been inspected, 83.1% were in a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ school, very similar to the city average of 83.5%. 

At the end of year 6 (key stage 2), the attainment performance for students in Bell Green and WEHM is below the average for Coventry, this is particularly true for the WEHM area. In 2022, 47% of students who live in the Bell Green and WEHM achieved the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, compared to 54% for Coventry overall and 59% for England.  

There is notable variation across the area, the attainment rate amongst pupils from Bell Green is the same as the Coventry average at 54%, Wood End, Henley Green & Manor Farm (WEHM) are amongst some of the lower rates in the city at 42%. 

At key stage 4, the average attainment 8 scores for pupils living in Bell Green and WEHM is notably worse than the Coventry average. Attainment 8 scores are an average score that measures how well an individual student did across their 8 best subjects taken at GCSE level. In 2022, the average attainment 8 score for pupils in Bell Green and WEHM was 39.2, compared to 46.2 in Coventry and 48.9 in England overall. The average scores among students who live in Bell Green (38.2) and the WEHM area (39.8) are both amongst the lowest of all Coventry’s areas.  

The proportion of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is above the city average (18.2%). In 2023, SEN students made up 20.9% of all school pupils living in Bell Green and WEHM. There are two kinds of SEN, those with a Statement or an Education, Health & Care (EHC) plan; and those with SEN support. There were 929 children who were classified as SEN students, 4.1% of all had an EHC plan, which was higher than the city average of 3.4%, and 16.8% with SEN support, higher than the city average of 14.9%. In Bell Green, 22.8% of the children were SEN students, one of the highest proportions in the city, whereas it was a little lower in the WEHM area, although still higher than average at 19.7% 

Free school meals eligibility in Coventry continues to increase and is higher in Bell Green and the WEHM area. In January 2023, 39.7% of pupils from the area were eligible for free school meals, much higher than the proportion across Coventry overall, 24.8%. The separate areas Bell Green and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) had some of the higher rates in Coventry, at 38.0% and 40.7% respectively. 

Bell Green and WEHM have more people with low or no qualifications than the average in Coventry. This may make it harder for them to find work that suits their interests or skills or reduce their chances of competing for jobs based in Coventry as the city's jobs require more skills and qualifications. From the Census 2021, the percentage of residents over 16 without any formal qualifications in Bell Green and WEHM is 27.3%, which is higher than Coventry (19.4%) and England (18.1%). The separate areas Bell Green and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) had some of the highest rates in Coventry, at 28.6% and 26.3% respectively. 

Only 22.8% of Bell Green and WEHM's residents over 16 have a level 4 or above qualification, which means they have a foundation degree or equivalent or a higher qualification, this is much lower proportion than the city (30.6%) and national averages (33.9%). The separate areas Bell Green and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) had some of the lowest rates in Coventry, at 19.9% and 25.2% respectively. 

What else is happening? 
What else can be done? 

Residents in the area highlighted a need to expand access to apprenticeship schemes and community education courses. Having greater community input can help tailor educational offerings to better meet local needs, particularly for groups that may face barriers to traditional education pathways. Apprenticeships are seen as a valuable route for gaining practical, hands-on training while learning new skills in a real-world setting. Across the city, apprenticeships are available at various levels, offering opportunities for school leavers, those seeking to upskill within their current careers, or individuals considering complete career changes. By expanding local apprenticeship programs, the area could provide more accessible pathways for residents to enhance their qualifications and job prospects. This would contribute to addressing issues of unemployment and underemployment, especially among young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Adult education offers opportunities across the city for adults to engage and learn. The Adult Education Service in Coventry offers a choice of courses in a wide range of subjects. Each year thousands of people take the opportunity to learn a new skill, gain a qualification, find out more about something they are interested in, or simply make new friends. Data from the academic year (2020/21) suggests Adult Education delivery in Coventry is doing reasonably well in serving Coventry’s communities. Wards with higher levels of deprivation have higher volumes of learners such as St Michaels (12%) and Foleshill (12%). However, there could still be community groups and areas of the city that are under-represented, and we need to continue to ensure our Skills Providers have good reach across the city. 

Henley Green Community centre was considered an asset in the opportunities for adult education and learning, creating an inviting space for people to learn new skills and gain qualifications. 

The library also supports children through programmes such as Bookstart. Through Bookstart children of preschool age receive a free information pack containing a variety of activities, guidance for parents and a book. This is in the hopes that good literacy habits will be formed at a much younger age. Rhyme times are also an opportunity for the formation of good literacy habits and encourage the development of language and social skills amongst babies and toddlers. 

“Access to more apprenticeship schemes and funded community education courses.”

“Education is of prime importance in achieving equality, …”

Sky Blues in the Community teamed up with Coventry City Council’s #CovConnects Team to provide interactive sessions for young people on the Sky Blues in the Community Easter HAF programme at the Moat House Neighbourhood Centre. Lenovo, CDW, and the Moat House Community trust also helped to curate a free programme of activities called 'Lenovo Presents: An Introduction to Tech.' Lenovo Presents: An Introduction to Tech', was run at Moat House Community Centre and engaged over 90 young people. Throughout the day they trialled several digital experiences including competitive e-sport sessions and a journey on an immersive adventure into virtual reality.  

Coventry Skills Survey was conducted to find out what Coventry residents think about skills training courses in the city. It found that residents in Henley Ward (which includes WEHM) felt the biggest barriers to undertaking skills or training course were a lack of information surrounding what courses were available, followed by childcare needs and inability to travel to the course.  
 
When asked what would help to overcome these barriers, more information along with more flexible course times and low fees were the most popular responses. More than half of respondents felt that they have the skills to either gain employment or progress in their career. 

"Lack of funds to commute to.course and the time the course is set as being single parent booking course at 5.30pm can be struggle due to childcare.”

“Courses are at limited availability or age restriction .” 

“At my own pace, and online, but with tutors help.”

Economy and Growth

Why is this important?

A protective factor for health is having meaningful employment. Reducing avoidable health disparities will involve tackling the unequal distribution of money, wealth, and power by improving opportunities and skills.

What is the local picture?
How does it compare?

Bell Green & Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) have higher levels of multiple deprivation than most parts of Coventry. 65% of the residents live in areas (LSOAs) that are amongst the most deprived 10% LSOAs in England and 92% of residents live in areas that are amongst the most deprived 20% LSOAs in England, whereas across Coventry overall the proportions are 15% and 27% respectively.

Both Bell Green and the WEHM areas have neighbourhoods that are amongst those in Coventry with the very highest levels of multiple deprivation. 4 of the 11 neighbourhoods that make up the area are ranked amongst the most deprived 10 in the city. The map below shows that most of the areas in Bell Green & WEHM, 7 out of 11, are in the lowest 10% of areas in England, marked by the darkest red colour. These pockets of deprivation limit people’s opportunities to succeed and transforming life chances requires addressing the social inequalities that are established right from the earliest years. This is based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019, it shows how much people in each neighbourhood (LSOA) in England face ‘multiple deprivation’ in the areas of employment, income, education, health, crime, housing and services and living environment; it is the main measure of deprivation at a local level. This measure is still valid, but the data is somewhat old as it is only updated every five years on average – the insights from this should be considered in conjunction with other more up to date statistics.  

Map: Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 for all Coventry neighbourhoods (LSOAs)

Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019, Ministry of Housing, Communities of Local Government

The unemployment rate in Bell Green and WEHM is higher than the average for the city. This is partly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the slow recovery of the national economy in 2022, but these areas have always had higher unemployment rates. Responses to the 2021 Census gave us a rate of 6.2% (737 people) of all working aged (16-64) residents of Bell Green and WEHM being unemployed, higher than the Coventry average of 5.9%. There is a small difference within the area, with Bell Green having a higher-than-average unemployment rate of 6.5%, while Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM) unemployment rate is 6.0%. Across the area the census unemployment rate was highest in the neighbourhood around ‘Bell Green – Roseberry Avenue’ at 8.6%.

While rates remain higher than the city average in the WEHM area, unemployment has fallen more than other areas over the last 10 years. The unemployment rate measured in the 2021 Census was lower in WEHM than it was in the 2011 Census. While it is difficult to interpret this because the labour market data collected in the 2021 Census may not fairly represent change between 2011 and 2021 (because of how people answered the census at an unprecedented time for the labour market during the COVID-19 pandemic), there are reasons to believe this indicates unemployment has fallen in Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM).

Because of high unemployment rates, and high economic inactivity rates, the number of residents in employment is relatively low, much lower than the city average. From the 2021 Census, 62.3% of people aged 16-64 were in employment, compared to 64.2% across Coventry as a whole. The Census uses different methods to measure employment and unemployment rates than other data sources and it was done during a unique time for the labour market because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, so the percentages from the 2021 Census are lower than other official data sources.

The number of residents claiming unemployment benefits is significantly higher in Bell Green and WEHM. The claimant count increased significantly in early 2020, an indication of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on employment, and while it has fallen since 2020 it remains significantly higher than 2019 levels. From August 2019 to August 2023, the share of the local working age population who were claiming unemployment benefits in Bell Green and WEHM went up from 6.2% to 9.0% significantly higher than the city average of 5.6%.

Data from the Census 2021 shows that Bell Green and WEHM have a higher percentage of people who are not in work and not looking for work (31.5%), compared to the city average (29.9%), even though the area has fewer students than the average. Economic inactivity refers to people who are neither in work nor unemployed, they are not actively seeking work for various reasons. This includes full-time students, those looking after a home, people living with long term illness, retired people, and others.

The main reason why people are economically inactive across the city as a whole is that they are full-time students, but this does not apply to Bell Green and WEHM, only 6.8% of working age people here are economically inactive full-time students compared to 12.8% across Coventry overall.

In this area there are a relatively high number of people who are economically inactive and ‘looking after home or family’ or ‘long-term sick or disabled’.  A higher proportion who are not working or looking for work in these areas are taking care of the home or family, accounting for 8.9% of all working aged people compared to 6.0% across Coventry overall. People who are inactive due to having long-term illnesses or disabilities make up 8.7% of all working aged people in this area compared to Coventry's average of 4.9%.

Residents in Bell Green and WEHM have a much lower household income than the average for Coventry. The ‘UK Paycheck’ dataset from CACI estimates average gross annual household income in 2023. In Bell Green and WEHM, the mean average is estimated £31,621, while for Coventry overall it is £41,552 and the UK average is £47,621. A higher proportion of households in this area are on low incomes, 40% of Bell Green and WEHM households have a total income of less than £20,000 a year, compared to 27% across Coventry overall and 22% across the UK.

Household income is relatively low in WEHM (£31,020) and Bell Green (£32,307), lower than most areas in the city. Two of the neighbourhoods with higher income are ‘Hall Green North’ in Bell Green (£41,013) and ‘Alderman’s Green Industrial Estate’ in the WEHM area (£41,018), but these are still below the Coventry average.

The cost-of-living crisis contributes to the higher levels of financial stress among people living in Bell Green and WEHM, compared to other areas of Coventry. The Household Survey 2022 revealed that 60% of residents reported feeling worried about money often or almost all the time in the last few weeks, which is considerably higher than the Coventry average of 40%. Only 52% of residents surveyed in Bell Green and WEHM reported that all of their household had enough of the type of food they wanted. This is much lower than the city average of 69%.

It is essential to ensure digital accessibility and inclusion for everyone. Coventry has a strong advantage of having good high-speed internet overall, but this does not ensure access and there are many people in the area who may face digital exclusion. The Ofcom Connected Nations report 2022 gives us local data, there is a high level of ‘gigabit’ availability, with 95.1% of premises in Bell Green and WEHM having service capable of 1,000 Megabits per second (Mbit/s) from fixed broadband, similar to Coventry overall at 96.9%. The vast majority of premises (97.6%) have services capable of ‘Superfast Broadband’ (30 Mbit/s or more), although the actual performance measured is lower, only 84.7% have average measured speeds of connections at 30 Mbit/s or faster. A relatively high proportion of premises across Bell Green and WEHM have low average measured speed, 7.4% of connection have an average measured speed of less 10 Mbit/s, much higher than the 4.7% across Coventry overall.

Also, having overall good connection levels does not mean that residents have the capacity to access fast broadband or afford it, and there are areas in Bell Green and WEHM with relatively high risk of Digital Exclusion.  The Digital Exclusion Risk Index (DERI) tool, developed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, models the likelihood of digital exclusion for all small neighbourhoods (LSOAs) in England by creating an overall score based on number of metrics measuring the risk factors of demography, deprivation, and broadband availability.  For each area they give a score between 0 and 10 where 0 represents a low risk of exclusion and 10 a high risk. This data shows that all neighbourhoods in Bell Green and WEHM have scores indicating high risk of digital exclusion compared to the city average, and many have the highest scores in the whole city, particularly in Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM). 5 of the 6 neighbourhoods (‘LSOAs’) that make up the WEHM area have risk scores amongst the top 10 in the city, also relatively high nationally.

There is another measure of digital exclusion, the Internet User Classification 2018 data set from the Economic and Social Research Council, which used several statistics to classify each LSOA in Great Britain into 10 different types according to the internet use and engagement of its residents. Most of the neighbourhoods in Bell Green and WEHM were classified as ‘e-Withdrawn’, the type that is least engaged with the internet.  The areas of Coventry that were given this classification were typically those with higher levels of multiple deprivation.

What else is happening?
What else can be done?

Improving outcomes and tackling inequalities within our communities is important to those living in Bell Green and the WEHM area. The One Coventry Plan sets out the council’s ambition to ensure more residents of Coventry are fulfilling their ambitions, living healthier lives for longer and living in safer, connected, and sustainable communities.

One Coventry plan engagement found that residents in Bell Green and WEHM area felt that the most important priority was improving outcomes and tackling inequalities within our communities, closely followed by increasing the economic prosperity of the city and of the region, and finally tackling the causes of climate change.

The Council’s adult education service has launched a course to boost financial skills. The course is aimed at equipping adults with essential financial skills. This initiative is designed to help participants navigate the complexities of personal finance, offering practical knowledge and tools to improve their financial well-being.

The course covers a comprehensive range of topics, including:

• Budgeting
• Calculating expenses
• Comparing prices
• Understanding interest rates
• Debt management
• Understanding pensions
• Making financial decisions

Moat House, CV Life, Coventry City Council and a range of other organisations have held ‘Community Fun Day’ events. Around 400 local residents attended the events, which featured a range of organisations, including the police, fire service, health, community and youth services, and the City Council in partnership with Wellbeing 4 Life. The events provided fun, food and the opportunity to find out more about a range of support available including training and employment opportunities and to get advice on how to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Organisations spoke to residents throughout the events to find out more about their needs and priorities to inform how they can best support local residents in their community.     

Community and voluntary organisations are working together to address the needs of those on low incomes with affordable access to food, advice, and support. Many community groups throughout Bell Green and the WEHM area are actively involved in supporting the Holiday Activity and Food programme, developing and implementing Food Hubs and Advice services, as well as raising awareness, and supporting the delivery of the Household Support Fund. All of which are exploring opportunities for collaborative working by being a part of the Coventry Food Network, these groups work with a range of organisations both locally and nationally, including Business in the Community and Feeding Britain.

Henley Green Grub Hub was the first food hub to be set up in the city and helped hundreds of families living on the breadline. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the UK went into a national lockdown. Instead of closing their doors, many of the community centres and groups throughout the city adapted to the changing government regulations and supported people in need. This resulted in the creation of several social supermarkets throughout the city and the establishment of Coventry Food Network. Based on the model used at Henley Green, the centre was able to share their knowledge and expertise and ensure the success of delivering food to vulnerable people at a time of uncertainty. It remains one of the busiest hubs in the city.

The Coventry Food Network is an example of this, established as a result from the pandemic. Coventry Food Network is a food partnership which brings together several public, private, voluntary and community sector partners to address food poverty and its causes in Coventry by taking a city-wide collaborative and strategic approach towards a unified Coventry Food Network and Strategy. Since 18 March 2020, the Council has been working closely with a range of partners, to create and deliver a system of food provision. Some of the initiatives that have evolved from this partnership are:

• Established 15 social supermarkets/grub hubs throughout the city to provide nutritional food and support to those residents in greatest need.
• Support the delivery of the Household Support Fund by providing emergency food provision to vulnerable residents who needed additional support with accessing/affording food.
• Supported the delivery and developed a model to support those who were clinically extremely vulnerable (Shielding) re: food and basic support.
• Procured food and distributed food parcels to children eligible for free school meals provision during school holidays.

Continue to support and enhance the offer of healthy, nutritious food to children and families eligible for free school meals through the HAF programme.

Housing and Environment

Why is this important?

The quality of the built and natural environment, such as the local neighbourhoods, access to local shops, services, parks and green spaces, affect the health and wellbeing of everyone.

What is the local picture? How does it compare?

Satisfaction with the local area is lower than the city average. According to the Household Survey 2022, 55% of those surveyed in Bell Green and WEHM were satisfied with their local area as a place to live compared with 66% of Coventry as a whole. This is 21 percentage points lower than the satisfaction rate of 76% recorded in the 2018 survey. 19% of respondents indicated that their local area had got worse to live in over the last two years, though this was less than the city average of 28% when asked the same question.

Accessibility to green space for residents of Bell Green and WEHM is relatively good. Although the spread of the area is across different neighbourhoods and wards and access is a mixed picture depending on where in the area people live. Those living in the south and west of Bell Green have further to travel to accessible green spaces. The Coventry Green Space Strategy 2019 -2024 measures the amount of green space by each of the city’s 18 wards, and Henley ward, where the WEHM area is located, is shown to have some of the highest quantities of green space in the city; also, Longford ward, where Bell Green is located, is shown to have higher than average coverage. However, this does not give a clear picture for Bell Green and WEHM because they only make up part of their respective wards, but the strategy data does indicate that access for residents of Bell Green and WEHM is better than average for a Coventry resident, and it shows that all areas of the Bell Green and WEHM are within 400 metres of some unrestricted green space. There is access to a good mixture of types of green space: parks and gardens, amenity greenspace, natural and semi-natural greenspace, green corridor, and outdoor sport facilities distribution in the Bell Green and WEHM area.

Table: Green space quantity by primary type and Coventry ward, hectares per 1,000 population

Comparing air pollution levels in this area to other Coventry neighbourhoods gives a mixed picture. Air pollution is the largest environmental risk to the public’s health and has a harmful impact on the health of people living, working, and studying within Coventry. Like many towns and cities throughout the UK, roadside pollution levels, especially those resulting from Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) emissions from traffic and Particulate Matter (PM), are a concern. Poor air quality affects different communities disproportionately, some areas in Coventry do not achieve the EU and international standards. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of the pollutants of concern, and ‘diffusion tubes’ are deployed to measure levels at various roadside locations in Coventry, in 2022, 75 locations were measured. In 2022, 3 of the 'diffusion tubes' were in Bell Green and WEHM, all 3 had levels below the then recommended 40 µg/m3 of NO2. A more stringent 10 µg/m3 guideline level was introduced recently. None of the sites measured in this area, or any other area in the city, have met this standard, all are measured at an average above 10. As with all other sites measured across the city, the levels measured reduced between 2019 and 2022.  Compared to the other locations measured across Coventry, 2 of the 3 in this area ranked in the middle of the 75 ‘diffusion tubes’ measurements, these were to the south of area at the junction of Hall Green Road and Bell Green Road. The measurement for the other, located further to the north on Alderman’s Green Road, was amongst the lower of all locations measured across the city.

The 'Shape Atlas' tool from the Department of Health and Social Care, shows estimated annual NO2 levels by all neighbourhoods. It shows a similar picture to the ‘diffusion tube’ data, NO2 levels in the area are estimated to be around average for the city. However, this source shows that NO2 levels are higher than the national average across the whole city, and each neighbourhood in Bell Green and WEHM is estimated to have levels among the highest 20% in the country. The same source also estimates Particulate Matter (PM), to be among the highest in the city in parts of Bell Green and WEHM. The 'Shape Atlas' tool also shows that the populations of the Bell Green and WEHM area are estimated to have relatively vulnerability to NO2 and PM pollution, this uses a model to score vulnerability based on the population characteristics of the area, levels of deprivation, location of vulnerable populations and estimated concentration of air pollution in the area.

Residents are less likely to have access to a car. The Census 2021 recorded that 64.4% of households in Bell Green and WEHM have access to a car or a van, so more than a third (35.6%) of households have no access to a car or van, higher than the rest of Coventry (27.6%) and significantly higher than England (23.5%).  

Comparing this insight to the Air Pollution Vulnerability Indicator data summarised above indicates an inequality, Bell Green and WEHM has relatively many people who don’t use cars regularly but also has many neighbourhoods where the population is considered relatively highly vulnerable to air pollution, which often comes from traffic.  

What else is happening? What else can be done?

Residents raised concerns over safety and traffic congestion. To address parking congestion, participants suggested implementing parking permits, similar to systems in other cities. Increasing the number of cycle routes to make cyclists feel safer on the roads and encouraging public transport was also suggested, implementing family travel cards acting as an incentive for people to utilise public transport more often.

Ensuring Public Spaces are accessible for all were highlighted as a concern. Residents reported difficulties for wheelchair users and those with mobility scooters, citing a lack of knowledge about accessible routes and facilities. They called for better signage and infrastructure to support all residents.

“Traffic -make cycling feel safer by  increasing the number of  cycle routes. Encourage use of public transport -perhaps a family travel card.”

Residents of Bell Green and WEHM see significant opportunities to collaborate on initiatives promoting gardening, local food production, and reducing food waste. Many believe that encouraging community-led projects, such as planting fruit trees and providing compost bins, would not only enhance green spaces but also foster greater community engagement and self-sufficiency. These projects are viewed as a way to promote sustainable living, improve access to fresh food, and strengthen the local food system.

Encouraging local businesses, especially supermarkets and food retailers, to donate surplus fresh food to those in need rather than discarding it could be used as a way to reduce waste. Surplus food donation programs could be developed in partnership with the social supermarkets across the city to ensure that excess fresh food reaches those who need it most. This initiative would reduce food waste while simultaneously addressing food insecurity and improve access to nutritious food.

"Make sure that more Recycling is done, especially on wrappers, and plastic on the outside of bottles, can be recycled, which at present it can not."

Go parks are active in Moat House Park, Go Parks is a project delivered by Positive Youth Foundation which gives residents of Coventry new and exciting ways to use parks and green spaces in the city. 

With an increasing number of people using parks and green spaces for activity, they are promoting ways to be active in parks that are fun, simple and exciting. Go Parks bring everything from sport and physical activity to wellbeing and cultural elements into local parks to :

• Increase physical activity for young people in the city
• Encourage and increase park usage across the city
• To reduce isolation and loneliness
• Housing and Homelessness

Housing and Homelessness

Why is this important?

Historically, housing is only considered in relation to health in terms of support to help vulnerable people to live healthy, independent lives and reduce the pressure on families and carers. However, it is now recognised that good quality housing for all leads to better health and wellbeing, as it indirectly affects early years outcomes, educational achievement, economic prosperity, and community safety.

Conversely, rough sleeping and homelessness significantly impacts on a person’s mental and physical health, and the longer someone experiences rough sleeping, the more likely they will develop additional mental and physical health needs, develop substance misuse issues and have contact with the criminal justice system.

What is the local picture? How does it compare?

Homeownership in Bell Green and WEHM is significantly lower, and social renting is much higher than the Coventry average. According to the 2021 Census, 42.3% of households are socially rented, far above the city average of 17.0%. Owner-occupied homes account for 40.9%, compared to 57.4% in Coventry, and 15.3% are privately rented, below the city’s 24.7%.

Over the last decade, there was a 2.3 percentage point increase in owner-occupied households and a 2.5-point rise in private rentals, while social renting decreased by 4.7 points. Despite this decline, the total number of socially rented households increased by 45, reflecting overall growth in households, particularly in owner-occupied and privately rented homes.

Bell Green and WEHM’s housing is mostly made up of semi-detached (36.4%) and terraced (33.6%) houses, followed by purpose-built flats or tenements (21.1%). This is like Coventry overall, where 39.9% of houses are terraced, 30.0 % are semi-detached and 15.7% are purpose-built flats or tenements. Semi-detached houses and flats are a little more common in this area. Bell Green and WEHM has a lower percentage of detached houses than Coventry as a whole (7.7% vs. 11.6%).

The 2021 Census showed that households in Bell Green and WEHM are more likely to be overcrowded than the rest of Coventry. It revealed that 12.0% of households were overcrowded in Bell Green and WEHM compared to 7.7% in Coventry. A house is defined as overcrowded if there are too few rooms for the number of occupants based on standards of a minimum number of common rooms and bedrooms needed for the size and composition of the household. Overcrowding is more common in Wood End, Henley Green & Manor Farm (WEHM), at 13.7% than in Bell Green at 9.9% of all households.

The population density for Bell Green and WEHM is 3,938 residents per square kilometre. It is not the highest in the city but is higher than the population density of Coventry overall at 3,500 people per square kilometre.

House prices in Bell Green and WEHM are lower than the Coventry average. The House Price Statistics for Small Areas, produced by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that in the year up to September 2022 the mean average price of houses sold across the whole area was £184,900, lower than the Coventry average of £235,700. Recent house price increases have generally been lower in Bell Green and WEHM than average. Over a four years period, since the year ending September 2018, mean average prices of houses sold in the area increased by 12% compared to a 20% increase across Coventry overall. The type and size of households that were sold in the area will be a factor in the change and the difference. 

We can use a difference measure of average, the median price of houses sold, to compare average house prices between neighbourhoods within the area. The median price of houses sold in Bell Green in the year up to September 2022 was £171,000 compared to £180,000 in Wood End, Henley Green & Manor Farm (WEHM), lower than the city median average at £214,500.

Fuel poverty, which is influenced by energy prices, incomes, and housing quality, is higher than the Coventry and national average. This is measured using 2021 data, a time before the significant increase in energy bills impacted on households - the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on communities across the city is yet to be fully realised, as people face rapidly rising energy, fuel, food, and housing costs. In 2021 fuel poverty rates in the area was estimated at 23.7% of all households being in fuel poverty, more prevalent than across Coventry overall, the Coventry average was 20.8% and the England average was 13.1%.  

The rate of homelessness applications from Bell Green and WEHM is higher than the Coventry city average. In the financial year 2022/23 there were 155 homelessness applications made to Coventry City Council from people living in Bell Green and WEHM, as a rate this 20.9 per 1,000 households in the area compared, higher than the rate of 14.6 for the city overall.  These are people who made an application and were assessed as being homeless or at risk or being becoming homeless and assigned to the area based on their last settled address. The area has a higher rate over the five-year period from 2018/19 to 2022/23, with 104.3 per 1,000 households compared to 63.1 for Coventry. The number of applications from this area was higher in 2022/23 than it was 2018/19, when it was 121. In this area the annual rate had increased over this period, from a low of 16.4 in 2018/19 and a high of 25.4 in 2020/21 but fallen a little since then. The city's annual rate has grown steadily from 9.1 in 2018/19 to 14.6 in 2022/23. This indicates that more people are applying for homelessness status every year across the city, while the number in Bell Green and WEHM was increasing but has remained stable in the last two years.

What else is happening? What else can be done?

Affordable Housing, rising rent costs and availability of housing were all raised as a concern by residents. Residents were concerned that landlords are raising rents excessively, forcing businesses to relocate and leaving young people unable to afford their own homes.

“…1000s of young people wanting their own places to live but are having to stay at home because of the lack of affordable 1 bed homes…”
 

“stop rogue landlords from increasing rents…”

Threats to health and wellbeing are exacerbated by the increased costs associated with keeping homes warm, dry, and ventilated sufficiently over the colder months of the year and potential intermittent shortages in energy supply.  Cold homes are recognised as a source of both physical and mental ill health, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, respiratory illness, falls and accidents.

The Council has been proactive in supporting the most vulnerable residents access support through a series of initiatives. Coventry City Council have commissioned local energy charity Act on Energy to deliver its Keeping Coventry Warm Scheme. Keeping Coventry Warm provides Coventry residents with free energy saving advice and information.

The household support fund is also a way to provide residents with support for essentials linked to energy and water in recognition that a range of costs may arise that directly affect a households’ ability to afford or access food energy and water.

Crime and community safety

Being a victim of crime, and being worried about crime, impacts on a person’s perception of their quality of life in the neighbourhood and has a negative effect on a person’s mental and physical wellbeing.

What is the local picture? How does it compare?

Bell Green and WEHM have higher crime rates than the Coventry average, with 2,597 crimes reported in 2022/23, a rate of 136.8 per 1,000 people compared to the city's 124.6. Like the rest of the city, the area has seen a trend in increasing crime. Crime in the area has risen 48% since 2017/18, though this is lower than the city's overall 65% increase. Most of the increase in crime over the last 5 years comes from more cases of ‘Violence and sexual offences’, which is the most common type of crime recorded. It is crimes recorded under this category that is the main reason why crime rates are higher than the city average in this area. 1,322 ‘Violence and sexual offences’ crimes were recorded in 2022/23, a rate of 69.7 per 1,0000 residents compared to the city average of 51.6. and (ASB) in the data, Bell green and WEHM has higher rates than the city average in five of them: ASB, criminal damage and arson, robbery, violence and sexual offences and other crime.

Most of the increase in crime over the last 5 years comes from more cases of “Violence and sexual offences,"  which is the most common type of crime recorded, with 1,322 incidents reported in 2022/23 (69.7 per 1,000 residents vs. 51.6 citywide). Out of the 14 types of crime Bell Green and WEHM have higher rates than the city average in 5 of them: ASB, criminal damage/arson, robbery, violence/sexual offences, and other crime. Both separate areas, Bell Green and Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm (WEHM), have higher than average crime rates, at 143.23 and 132.26 per 1,000 residents in 2022-23 respectively, but these are not the very highest crime rates amongst out of Coventry’s neighbourhoods.
Hate crimes are also higher, with 62 incidents reported from September 2022 to October 2023, a rate of 3.3 per 1,000 residents compared to 2.8 citywide.

In Bell Green and WEHM, fewer residents feel safe compared to the Coventry average, especially at night. In the 2022 Household Survey, 67% felt safe during the day (vs. 77% citywide), and only 27% felt safe at night (vs. 45% citywide). Feelings of safety have declined in recent years, with 87% feeling safe during the day and 72% at night in 2018. This trend mirrors a citywide drop in perceived safety, especially at night.

What else is happening? What else can be done?

Addressing anti-social behaviour though community support and volunteering. Addressing safety concerns, participants suggested tackling anti-social behaviour and violence through non-violent communication courses and mediation. They called for greater community support and volunteering initiatives, emphasising the importance of engaging citizens in cleaning up the city and reporting issues like fly-tipping.

Health and Wellbeing

Life expectancy 

Why is this important?

Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy are extremely important summary measures of overall population health. The Marmot Review, Fair Society, Healthy Lives, demonstrates clear and significant links between avoidable differences in health outcomes and deprivation, where people experiencing multiple deprivation not only living shorter lives, but spend a greater portion of their shorter lives with a disability or in poor health. As a Marmot city, Coventry has adopted and embedded the principles of Marmot, tackling the social conditions that can lead to health inequalities, and working to improve the areas in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. 

What is the local picture? How does it compare?

There are health inequalities across Coventry whereby areas with higher levels of deprivation tend to have lower life expectancy. Bell Green and WEHM are examples of this. Life expectancy is a statistic giving a high-level picture of the health of Coventry residents and should be used with care in understanding likely life spans for people; excess deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic will have a negative impact on life expectancy statistics but this may not have a permanent impact. Whilst this data includes 2020 and the pandemic will have undoubtedly affected mortality statistics, life expectancy increases had already stalled before 2020.  

Life expectancy (LE) in Bell Green and WEHM for both males and females is lower than the rest of the city overall and is particularly low for males living here. The data in the following table presents life expectancy at birth for both females and males across four areas: Bell Green, Wood End, Henley Green & Manor Farm (WEHM), Coventry, and England. Below is a summary of the life expectancy data:

  Table: Life expectancy at birth 2016-2020 by MSOA, the most up to date figures available at local level  

Area name	Life expectancy at birth (2016 to 2020)
	Female	male
Bell Green	80.1	74.2
Wood End, Henley Green & Manor Farm (WEHM)	79.0	73.5
Coventry	82.1	78.1
England	83.2	79.5

Source:  The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities 2022, Crown Copyright.

The data shows that the life expectancy at birth statistics for Coventry are below the national average for males and females, and for both Bell Green and the WEHM area the figures are notably below the city average, indicating poorer than average levels of health. Life expectancy is particularly low in the WEHM area, amongst the areas in the city with the lowest levels. While life expectancy for males is lower than for females in all areas, it is particularly low for males in Bell Green and WEHM, the gap with the city average is higher for males here.

Health inequalities across the city mean that people in more deprived parts of the city, like Bell Green and WEHM, not only live shorter lives, but also spend a greater proportion of their shorter lives in poor health. Healthy life expectancy (HLE) is an indication of when people in an area start to suffer poor health on average. The gap between healthy life expectancy at birth (HLE) and life expectancy at birth (LE) is referred to as the ‘window of need’. While this gap in Coventry is bigger than that for England as a whole, for people in the Bell Green and WEHM area it is even bigger, particularly so for females- it is higher in the WEHM area compared to Bell Green. The window of need for females in the WEHM area areas covers a third of their expected Life Expectancy (35%) compared to a quarter (25%) in Coventry or just over a fifth (22%) nationally. It is wider for females than males, on average women spend more of their lives in poor health, mainly because total life expectancy is longer for females than males in Bell Green & WEHM.  

HLE and ‘window of need’ figures for Bell Green and WEHM compared to Coventry and England, the most recent data available, are presented in the table below.

Table: Life expectancy (LE) at birth & healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth 2009-2013 by MSOA*.

Area	Healthy life expectancy at birth (2009-2013)		Life expectancy at birth (2009-2013)		Window of need (2009-2013)
	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male
Bell Green	55.7	54.6	78.2	74.6	22.5	20.0
Wood End, Henley Green & Manor Farm (WEHM)	53.5	53.4	79.6	72.7	26.1	19.3
Coventry	61.8	61.2	82.1	77.9	20.3	16.7
England	64.8	63.5	83.0	79.1	18.2	15.6

Source:  The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Crown Copyright.

*The most up to date figures available at local level for healthy life expectancy, data for LE is presented for the same period to accurately calculate the ‘window of need’. The data for 2016-20 LE in the table above is the best to use to understand LE alone. This is the most up to date data at MSOA level, for more up to date information for Coventry City as a whole please see our Citywide profile [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/facts-coventry/joint-strategic-needs-assessment-jsna/4]

Premature mortality (deaths amongst residents aged under 75 years) is considerably higher in Bell Green and WEHM than the city and national average. Premature mortality rates are significantly higher than the city average in Bell Green and WEHM for all major causes, they are amongst the highest rates of all areas in the city.

Premature mortality is defined as deaths amongst residents aged under 75 years of age.  

The following table shows age standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) for deaths aged under 75, an SMR of 100 represents a mortality rate the same as the national average given the age structure of the population. It illustrates how big the gap is between the areas of Bell Green and WEHM and Coventry. It is particularly high amongst residents of Wood End, Henley Green & Manor Farm (WEHM) for causes considered ‘preventable’; a ‘preventable’ death is one which is considered as avoidable through public health or primary care interventions. 

Table: Premature mortality rates (deaths aged under 75) by major causes 2016-2020, by MSOA

Causes of deaths. Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR*)	Bell Green	WEHM		Coventry	England
All causes	176.2	187.7		116.9	100.0
All cancer	160.8	153.4		108.7	100.0
Circulatory disease	192.9	203.7		122.1	100.0
Causes considered preventable**	177.0	224.1		120.1	100.0

Source: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, produced from Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. 

*SMRs are age standardised death rates that allow mortality rates for areas with different age structures to be compared. ** Deaths which could be avoided by public health or primary care interventions.

What else is happening? What else can be done?

Preventable deaths can be avoided by addressing the social conditions that lead to poor health, such as people’s prospects and opportunities; housing and environment; as well as behavioural and lifestyle changes. These are explored throughout this JSNA.

Health protection 

Why is this important?

Health Protection is a term used to cover a set of activities within public health. It is defined as protecting individual, groups and populations from single cases of infectious disease, incidents and outbreaks, and non-infectious environmental hazards such as chemicals and radiation. Monitoring health protection coverage helps to identify possible drops in immunity before levels of disease rise.

What is the local picture? How does it compare?

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic changed all our lives and had impacts on a global scale. Like every area, many people from Bell Green and WEHM contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic, a total of 6,319 cases were recorded for residents of the area between March 2020 and 31st May 2022. This is out of a total population of 18,978 from the 2021 Census, a case rate of 333.0 per 1,000 residents, similar to the overall city rate for this period of 324.8. We should be mindful when comparing the area’s case rate to other areas, these official cases do not represent all cases of course, not all people who had COVID-19 in this period will have taken a test or reported its result and some people were asymptomatic so were unaware they had the virus. Therefore, these figures do not count total prevalence, and it is difficult to conclude from differing case rates, it may be a result of different testing and reporting rates.     

Many people suffer from ongoing symptoms, from ‘long COVID’; while we don’t know how many local residents suffer from this and if it is higher or lower than average, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated the prevalence of self-reported long COVID at 2.92% of all people living in private households in the UK in March 2023.   

COVID-19 mortality rates amongst Bell Green and WEHM residents were around average for Coventry, lower than might have been expected based on the deprivation and diversity levels in the population.  Death rates associated with COVID-19 were nationally higher in areas of higher deprivation and amongst many ethnic minority groups, so if Bell Green and WEHM were to follow this trend we might expect deaths rates here to be higher than average, but they were not overall, although they were a little higher in Wood End, Henley Green & Manor Farm (WEHM) than they were in Bell Green. In the three years 2020 to 2022, 32 residents in Bell Green and WEHM died with the underlying cause being given as COVID-19, out of a total number of 448 deaths from all causes. We can compare mortality rates between areas using Standardised Mortality Ratios (SMRs), a measure used to compare the observed number of deaths in a specific population with the number of deaths that would be expected based on the age and sex-specific rates in a standard population. It helps to assess whether the mortality rate in a particular area or population is higher or lower than expected, after accounting for differences in age distributions of the population; this is important because death rates from COVID-19, and from all causes, are much higher in older people and some areas have older populations that others. The SMR for COVID-19 deaths spanning the period from 2020 to 2022 was 98.2 for Bell Green, while across the WEHM area it was 112.0. An SMR of 100 indicates a mortality rate the same as the England average after adjusting for the age profile of the population, so the COVID-19 mortality rate was lower than the national average in Bell Green and slightly higher than average in the WEHM area. Both Bell Green and WEHM rank in the middle compared to all Coventry areas, there are many Coventry areas with lower levels of deprivation that had higher COVID-19 mortality rates.

Coventry delivered hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccines that protected many from severe illness or death and protected the health service. However, many remain unvaccinated, and vaccination rates are slightly lower than the city average in Bell Green and WEHM. There is a strong link with deprivation with increasingly lower rates of vaccine coverage in areas of higher deprivation, and some ethnic minority groups have lower rate; so, Coventry’s rates are lower than the national average and Bell Green and WEHM, an area of higher deprivation and some ethnic minority groups being populous here, has relatively low COVID-19 vaccination rates compared to the city average.

By December 2023, 12,333 Bell Green and WEHM residents had received their 1st dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, an uptake of 66.6% of residents aged 12+, lower than Coventry at 68.1%. 11,380 have received their 2nd dose, an uptake of 61.5% lower than Coventry at 63.3%. These uptake rates may be underreported due to the population data used by the NHS, but still the Bell Green and WEHM uptake rate is lower than the Coventry average, which in turn is lower than the national average. Vaccination rates are higher amongst older groups, although still lower than the Coventry average in Bell Green and WEHM amongst older people; for local residents aged 65+ the coverage in the area is 88.2% for dose 1 compared to 93.1% for Coventry and 87.1% for dose 2 compared to 92.4% for Coventry.

For people aged 65+ vaccination rates are similar between Bell Green and WEHM, dose 1 coverage at 88.7% and 87.8% respectively. Amongst all aged 12+ there is a slight difference between areas, dose 1 coverage at 68.4% and 65.3% respectively indicating lower uptake in WEHM amongst younger age groups compared to Bell Green.

The pandemic had many impacts, not all directly on residents’ physical health. The restrictions due to the pandemic and the lockdowns, may have had an impact on different aspects of health, not least mental health. The ONS conduct an annual survey where they ask people about their personal wellbeing, it indicates increased levels of anxiety amongst Coventry’s population during the pandemic. The % who gave a score indicating high levels of anxiety increased from 20.6% in 2019/20 to 26.9% in 2020/21

Responses to questions in the Coventry Household Survey 2022 give indications as to the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on people's lives, a sample of Coventry people were asked how worried they were about the impact of COVID-19 on their financial situation, their diet, their mental health, their physical health, and their feeling of loneliness; on a scale of 0-10, those scoring 7 or higher are classed as ‘worried’ in the statistics quoted below.  

In Bell Green and WEHM, Over half of survey respondents (55%) from Bell Green and WEHM, notably higher than the Coventry average of 38%, 46% worried about their physical health (vs. 31% city average), 36% about their diet (vs. 22%), 42% about loneliness (vs. 28%), and 56% about their financial situation (vs. 40%), showing a greater negative impact compared to the rest of Coventry.

The survey highlights the widespread impact of COVID-19 on various aspects of life in Bell Green and WEHM, both areas perform lower than the city average, with individuals from WEHM being particularly adversely affected.  46% said they were worried about the impact on their physical health, higher than the Coventry average of 31%; 36% said they were worried about the impact the pandemic had on their diet, higher than the Coventry average 22%; 42% said they were worried about the impact on their feelings of loneliness, higher than the Coventry average 28%; and  56% said they were worried about the impact the pandemic had on their financial situation, higher than the Coventry average 40%.

There are some indications that mental ill health is more prevalent than the average for Coventry in Bell Green and WEHM. The proportion of this area's adults diagnosed with depression according to GP registers in 2021/22 is higher than the city average (11.9%) and England average (12.7%).Using the data from all adult patients registered at the individual GP practices located in the area, we can get an approximate idea of prevalence amongst Bell Green and WEHM residents by looking at rates quoted form the individual GP practices located in the area, and they indicate that the proportion is between 2 and 5 percentage points higher here, amongst the highest rates across the city.
As part of the Household Survey 2022, a sample of resident were asked seven questions about their mental wellbeing, part of the short ‘Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale' (SWEMWBS). They were asked how often recently they have been feeling: optimistic; useful; relaxed; dealing with problems well; thinking clearly; feeling close to others; able to make up their mind. Their responses are scored and aggregated into a single score. Using this measure indicates that a higher-than-average proportion of respondents from Bell Green and WEHM gave responses that created a score indicating relatively low mental wellbeing; 24% scored less than 18 compared to 15% for Coventry overall. 

 As is the case for Coventry overall, Bell Green and WEHM uptake rates for several different childhood vaccinations fall short of the desired threshold of 95%. To get a picture of uptake rates amongst children living in Bell Green and WEHM we look at uptake percentages for 2021/22 across many childhood vaccinations amongst patients registered at GP practices located in and near the area. Uptake rates vary between practices and are different depending on the vaccine type and age of child, but overall, for most vaccines fewer than 95% of children have received the vaccine. 

Summarising across all local practices, the data indicates that uptake rates for four vaccines for one year olds were around average for Coventry, ranging from 85.9% to 94.9%, whereas across Coventry rates ranged from 88.8% to 93.4%. For a group of four vaccines for which we have data for two years olds, rates across local practices ranged from 86.1% to 95.0%, overall slightly better than the city average ranging from 85.7% and 87.2%. For three vaccines for five year olds, a vaccine for DTaP/IPV/Hib and the recommended two doses of the MMR vaccine, rates across local practices ranged from 82.8% to 97.1%, overall slightly better than the city average ranging from 83.3% and 92.9%.

Vaccination rates for key cohorts of people eligible to receive the annual seasonal Flu vaccine are overall lower than the city average in Bell Green and WEHM. Flu Vaccines help protect against the main types of flu virus circulating and are offered to a range of at-risk groups of people including children, people aged 65 and over and pregnant women. Vaccination rates vary between the GP practices, the table below shows the range of uptake rates for each cohort across the practices local to Bell Green and WEHM. It shows that flu vaccination rates in all eligible cohorts are lower than the city and national rates.

The vaccine uptake rates for this area’s GPs, for Coventry overall and England for 2022/23 can be seen in the table below.

Table: Flu vaccine uptake rates 2022/23 by cohort amongst people registered at local GP practices - % of eligible population receiving the vaccine

Area	Aged 2 years to under 4 years	Aged 4 years to under 11 years	All 65 Plus	All Pregnant Women	Under 65 at-risk only
Bell Green and WEHM Area (range)	21.6-29.5%	31.2-39.2%	70.7-74.2%	23.1-31.9%	39.3-46.1%
Coventry	31.1%	40.5%	78.1%	33.5%	46.1%
England	40.1%	55.5%	82.8%	43.4%	55.3%

Source: ImmForm, UK Health Security Agency

HIV remains an important public health concern in Coventry, and the Wood End, Henley Green & Manor Farm (WEHM) area has a rate amongst the highest in the city. In 2021, the diagnosed HIV prevalence rate in 2021 was 3.2 per 1,000 compared to 2.3 per 1,000 in England, making Coventry the 32nd highest prevalence out of 150 local authority areas. When comparing diagnosed HIV prevalence per 1,000 population aged 15 to 59 years, WEHM exhibits a high rate exceeding 10 per 1,000. In contrast, Bell Green falls between 2 to 5 per 1,000, representing an intermediate level of prevalence. The map below illustrates diagnosed HIV prevalence rates in 2021 by Coventry area (MSOA), WEHM being among the three areas of the city with the highest rates, those areas shaded in the darkest green colour. The rate for Bell Green is around average for Coventry, shown in a mid-green colour.

Map: Diagnosed HIV prevalence among people of all ages in Coventry by MSOA, 2021

Source: UKHSA HIV and AIDS Reporting System (HARS) [https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/sexualhealth-reports/2023/E08000026.html?area-name=Coventry#hiv]. 

Despite a falling trend, teenage conception rates in Coventry remain higher than average, and rates are higher than the city average in Bell Green and WEHM, perhaps among the highest rate of all Coventry neighbourhoods. In 2021, there were 18.6 conceptions per 1,000 people under the age of 18 for Coventry overall, higher than the England average at 13.1. Data for geographies smaller than Coventry overall are only available at ward level, not specifically for Bell Green or the WEHM area; however, the wards in which Bell Green is located, Longford, and in which the WEHM area is located (Henley), are shown to have the highest rates in the city, amongst the 3 out of the 18 Coventry wards with the highest rates in the city.

Map: Under-18s conception in Coventry by ward, compared to Coventry average: three-year period between 2018 - 20

Source: data sourced from Conception Statistics, England and Wales, ONS [https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/sexualhealth-reports/2023/E08000026.html?area-name=Coventry#hiv]

Key Points

Demographics and communities

The population growth in Bell Green and the WEHM area over the past decade is significant, outpacing the city's average and demonstrating the area's appeal to younger families and working-age adults. With a significant rise in children and adults aged 25-34, these demographics suggest a community that is becoming increasingly youthful and family-oriented. This has implications for understanding health needs in the area, despite there being fewer than average elderly residents, the needs of these residents cannot be ignored and ensuring that there are services available for these residents is vital.

Bell Green and WEHM is increasingly diverse. Having a culturally competent health and social care workforce is particularly important in this diverse area and efforts could be directed towards fostering a sense of community, addressing linguistic diversity, and supporting voluntary and community organisations that support residents.

 Coventry Household Survey 2022 indicates that social cohesion in the area is not as strong as in other parts of Coventry. This could be due to the rapid demographic changes, suggesting the need for initiatives to foster better integration and unity within the community.

Prospects

It is essential to address disparities in child development, enhance educational opportunities, and tackle economic and social challenges through collaborative, community-driven approaches. In Bell Green and WEHM, discrepancies in child development are evident when compared to Coventry and national averages. Targeted interventions can significantly improve early childhood development, and increasing awareness of funded early years childcare can ensure that more children access beneficial early education programs.

Educational achievement among school-aged children in Bell Green and WEHM is also lower than the city and national average. Children  perform below the Coventry average in key subjects like reading, writing, and maths by the time they reach Key Stage 2. This gap widens by the end of secondary school. These challenges, coupled with low levels of formal qualifications among the working-age population, suggest a need to improve educational outcomes involving both schools and community support services.

Although unemployment rates have improved over the past decade, they still remain high this coupled with high levels of economic inactivity and low wages means that opportunities to find meaningful employment are vital.

Improving access to health services, strengthening educational support, and creating economic opportunities are all crucial steps toward improving outcomes for residents of Bell Green and WEHM.

Housing and environment

Satisfaction with the local area  is lower than the city average and has declined over recent years. However, accessibility to green spaces is relatively good, contributing positively to residents' well-being.  Air pollution remains a concern, with high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM), which poses health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.

A substantial proportion of households lack access to a car, indicating a reliance on public transportation and the need for improved cycling infrastructure and public transport incentives. Residents are proactive in suggesting community-driven environmental improvements, such as planting fruit trees, providing compost bins, and cleaning local waterways. There is increased support for sustainable practices like installing solar panels and promoting public transportation is evident.

Social renting is significantly higher, while owner-occupied and private renting rates are lower than city averages. Overcrowding is more prevalent, indicating a need for better housing solutions and policies to address population density and housing quality. Despite house prices being lower, fuel poverty and homelessness rates are higher, highlighting economic and social challenges.

There are higher crime rates and lower perceptions of safety, particularly at night, which affect residents' quality of life and mental well-being. Addressing anti-social behaviour through community support and engagement is crucial.

Health and wellbeing

Residents face notable health disparities, with lower life expectancy and higher premature mortality rates. A social gradient approach focusing on people’s prospects and opportunities, housing and environment and lifestyle factors can help improve outcomes, reduce inequality and reduce premature mortality.

The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the vulnerabilities of the Bell Green and WEHM communities. While mortality rates from the virus were not as high as might have been expected, residents reported a disproportionate impact on their overall well-being. The relatively low uptake of vaccinations among older residents also points to potential gaps in healthcare engagement and trust, which must be addressed to improve public health outcomes in the future.

The high rate of HIV in WEHM and the lower satisfaction with GP services indicate that access to healthcare, while physically adequate, may not be meeting residents' needs. Improving the quality of primary care services, as well as increasing efforts to engage residents in preventive healthcare measures, could help to address these concerns.

Lifestyle factors, such as high smoking prevalence and the severe impact of alcohol on residents' health, further complicate the health landscape in Bell Green and WEHM. While alcohol consumption is reportedly lower than the city average, the high rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions highlights the significant harm it is causing. This paradox suggests that when alcohol use does occur, it may be more harmful, or residents may face barriers in accessing support for alcohol-related issues. Similarly, the higher childhood obesity rates in WEHM indicate that interventions targeting healthier lifestyle choices, particularly in children are needed.