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Dorset Counts / Westham

Westham · Dorset

Westham: your neighbourhood

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

What stands out here?

Homes rented from a council or housing association: 24% here, compared with 12% across Dorset (11.9 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 →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages: 26.1% here, compared with 15.1% across Dorset (11 percentage points higher).

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

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: 22% here, compared with 31.5% across Dorset (9.5 percentage points lower).

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

21.5%

21 March 2021 · Westham

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

2,040 out of 9,504.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

7.5%

21 March 2021 · Westham

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

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

708 out of 9,503.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

9,503

21 March 2021 · Westham

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

9,503 out of 9,503.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

22%

21 March 2021 · Westham

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,741 out of 7,924.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

60.1%

21 March 2021 · Westham

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

2,541 out of 4,229.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

26.1%

21 March 2021 · Westham

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

1,103 out of 4,229.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

42.2%

21 March 2021 · Westham

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

3,346 out of 7,936.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

54.5%

21 March 2021 · Westham

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

4,325 out of 7,936.

Source and method →

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

6.9%

21 March 2021 · Westham

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

548 out of 7,936.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

20.4%

21 March 2021 · Westham

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,620 out of 7,924.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

17%

21 March 2021 · Westham

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

735 out of 4,229.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

24.7%

21 March 2021 · Westham

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

1,958 out of 7,936.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

24%

21 March 2021 · Westham

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

1,023 out of 4,229.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

3.3%

21 March 2021 · Westham

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

265 out of 7,936.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

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

712 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 673 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Westham 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: 56 mapped crimes in September 2024; 77 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 · Westham
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 20245613
October 2024548
November 20245217
December 2024409
January 20254311
February 20255214
March 20257625
April 20256520
May 20255819
June 20255326
July 20256633
August 20255835
September 20255319
October 20257021
November 20255015
December 20255815
January 20265014
February 20264014
March 20265128
April 20265525
May 20267830
June 20266549
July 20266545
August 20267733
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Westham
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime396
criminal damage arson75
shoplifting67
other theft44
public order40
burglary22
drugs17
vehicle crime17
robbery10
other crime8
possession of weapons7
bicycle theft5
theft from the person4
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 Dorset →