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Watling · Swale

Watling: your neighbourhood

Watling electoral ward · May 2026 boundaries. Every figure carries its own date.

What stands out here?

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent: 32.2% here, compared with 23.7% across Swale (8.5 percentage points higher).

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

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

Homes rented privately: 11% here, compared with 18% across Swale (6.9 percentage points lower).

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

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

Homes rented from a council or housing association: 19% here, compared with 13% across Swale (6.2 percentage points higher).

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

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

The ward in numbers

People aged 65 or over

20%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

1,354 out of 6,768.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

5.2%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

353 out of 6,765.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

6,765

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

6,765 out of 6,765.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

32.2%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,728 out of 5,363.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

52.7%

21 March 2021 · Watling

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

1,454 out of 2,760.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

19.2%

21 March 2021 · Watling

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

530 out of 2,760.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

41.2%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

2,210 out of 5,370.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

55.9%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

3,004 out of 5,370.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ not working because of long-term illness or disability

4.2%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

225 out of 5,370.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

19.1%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,027 out of 5,363.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

11%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

317 out of 2,760.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

25%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

1,342 out of 5,370.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

19%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

537 out of 2,760.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

2.9%

21 March 2021 · Watling

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly. Unemployed residents as a share of all residents aged 16+; this is not the unemployment rate among economically active people.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

156 out of 5,370.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

Police-recorded locations for Watling ward. Locations are approximate; these are not all crimes or a measure of personal risk.

442 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 457 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Watling ward · mapped crimes

Reviewed figures: September 2024 to August 2026. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: 32 mapped crimes in September 2024; 36 mapped crimes in August 2026. These are recorded counts; check the coverage notes before comparing periods.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Monthly crime and anti-social behaviour
Recorded locations by month · Watling
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 20243210
October 20243611
November 2024409
December 2024367
January 2025278
February 20253118
March 2025389
April 20253310
May 2025457
June 20254515
July 20255913
August 20253516
September 20252910
October 2025435
November 2025444
December 20253511
January 2026356
February 2026352
March 20263312
April 2026315
May 20263811
June 20263412
July 20264913
August 20263611
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Watling
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime196
vehicle crime48
criminal damage arson47
other theft31
drugs29
other crime28
public order24
burglary18
possession of weapons9
shoplifting6
bicycle theft5
robbery1
What these numbers include

Approximate published locations, not every crime or personal risk.

Anti-social behaviour is separate. Transport police and unusable locations excluded.

An empty ward count means no mapped rows in the complete required force files; it does not prove that no crime occurred.

These are retrieved mapped records, not a guarantee of complete crime reporting. Approximate locations and unmapped incidents limit comparisons.

Missing ward-months invalidate totals and changes. Busy centres attract visitors, so residential population is not a measure of the number of people exposed.

Police data and method →

What could improve local safety →

Projects and proposed responses

A nearby project is not proof of a benefit to the whole ward. Only source-supported ward links are attached here.

No project boundary has been verified against this ward. See projects and their stated locations →

Proposed responses across Swale →