The Needs/Characteristics of the Area and the People
In 2011 the Leys in Oxford had 13,100 residents. 30% of the Leys’ residents are aged under 18 years, and another 31% are young adults aged 25 to 44 years.
There were 5,100 households living in the Leys in 2011, nearly one in five of which were headed by lone parents, over double the city average.
Like other areas of the city, the Leys has seen an increase in ethnic diversity – 33% of residents were from a non-White British ethnic group, compared to 18% in 2001.
The Leys has a notably large proportion of residents from Black ethnic groups – 12% of the population compared to the 5% city average. Historically the Leys was built as a social housing estate, and 50% of households still rent their home from the council or a housing association.
Another third own their home, but this number has decreased over the last decade.
Over half of the Leys’ residents have no or low qualifications, compared to the 22% city average. 41% of working age adults work in low skill routine or semi-routine occupations (The Leys Profile – 2011 Census: Oxford City Council statistics).
The Leys estate has some of the worst education and skills deficits in the UK. The Child Well Being Index shows eight super output areas in Leys CDI’s area of benefit. All are in the top 7% of national educational deprivation, 3 top 1%, 3 top 2%, 1 top 3% and 1 top 7%. The wards of the Leys are in the bottom 5% and 10% for child wellbeing, including being in the most deprived areas nationally overall and for children in need.
Almost 40% of families in two wards of the Leys have children living in poverty, whilst the average in England is 21% meaning that children on the Leys are almost twice as likely to live in poverty. In May 2013 officially 377 young people ages 16–18 were not in employment, education or training (NEET) or any form of learning in Oxford.
The majority of those young people live in Blackbird Leys and Barton. The cycle of deprivation across health and education, coupled with unstable home-lives, means that “People living in the Leys do poorly in school, are less healthy and have higher levels of teenage pregnancy and unemployment”.
The Leys Community Development Initiative helps these people . The CDI was launched in 1995 to develop and co-ordinate projects of long-term benefit to the Leys (the Blackbird and Greater Leys), Oxford. The CDI has two main projects: a Youth Project (for 9 to 25s), and the Clockhouse Project (for 50+).
More details at www.leyscdi.co.uk
