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Southwold · East Suffolk

Southwold: your neighbourhood

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

What stands out here?

People aged 65 or over: 41.9% here, compared with 27.8% across East Suffolk (14.2 percentage points higher).

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

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 East Suffolk (6.6 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 →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent: 33.8% here, compared with 27.6% across East Suffolk (6.3 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 →

The ward in numbers

People aged 65 or over

41.9%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

1,612 out of 3,843.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

4.9%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

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

188 out of 3,842.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

3,842

21 March 2021 · Southwold

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

3,842 out of 3,842.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

33.8%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,142 out of 3,376.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

52.5%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

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

1,017 out of 1,938.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

14.9%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

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

289 out of 1,938.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

57.7%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

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

1,945 out of 3,373.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

40.1%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

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

1,351 out of 3,373.

Source and method →

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

2.8%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

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

96 out of 3,373.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

18.8%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

633 out of 3,376.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

11%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

213 out of 1,938.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

46.8%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

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

1,578 out of 3,373.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

16%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

311 out of 1,938.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

2.3%

21 March 2021 · Southwold

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

77 out of 3,373.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

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

167 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 205 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Southwold 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: 19 mapped crimes in September 2024; 22 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 · Southwold
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 2024191
October 2024121
November 202490
December 2024160
January 2025250
February 2025301
March 2025224
April 2025153
May 2025102
June 2025148
July 2025194
August 2025143
September 202591
October 2025100
November 202581
December 2025111
January 202671
February 2026147
March 2026174
April 2026191
May 2026122
June 2026162
July 2026224
August 2026220
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Southwold
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime67
criminal damage arson28
public order18
other theft14
burglary9
shoplifting8
bicycle theft7
drugs6
other crime6
vehicle crime2
robbery1
theft from the person1
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 East Suffolk →