Easington

The Easington Parliamentary Constituency with an electorate of 62,562 is one of the seven Parliamentary constituencies in County Durham. It occupies a strategic location between the North East’s two City Regions; the A19 trunk road forms the main arterial route through the area linking it to the conurbations of Tyne & Wear in the north and Tees Valley in the south. The Durham coast rail line connects the conurbations, running through the area for the most part within 1 mile of the coast but with only one railway station at Seaham.

The area comprises a mixture of urban and rural areas in the heart of the former coalfield. There are two main towns, Peterlee and Seaham, each with a population of around 22,000; a number of large former colliery villages and smaller, more traditional villages in a more scenic rural setting. The 11 miles of largely undeveloped coastline consist of distinct headlands and bays, with magnificent sandy beaches to the north of Seaham and at Crimdon in the south.

Since the 1970’s the area has witnessed a period of major economic restructuring with the decline of coal mining. Easington’s last colliery closed in 1993. Textiles all but disappeared, soon after due to the impact of globalization and production moved off shore with lower production costs . According to the 1981 census 53% of all males jobs in Easington were in coal mining. Pit closures devastated the local community in terms of unemployment and the loss of the social fabric that had held the community together for over one hundred and fifty years.

Eighteen of the of the twenty-four (24) Councillors on the new Unitary authity of Durham county Council are Labour along with the two Town Councils at Seaham and Peterlee, and most of the larger Parish Councils of which there are eighteen (18) solidly Labour.

Summary Profile

This profile provides a summary of some of the key facts and figures about the area. It includes some statistics about crime, health, quality of life and the local economy as well as some information from a recent survey about what people think about where they live. This profile also identifies some of the key challenges facing the Easington Constituency. A more comprehensive profile has been developed for the east Durham Area Action Partnership which includes part of the Sedgefield parliamentary Constituency  to use in shaping its future delivery plans.

Place Survey

• 68% of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live. This is lower than the average for the rest of the County Durham population.
• The Government publishes statistics on deprivation levels, taking into account a range of quality of life issues. According to the results from 2007, around 41% of the population of Easington live in some of the most disadvantaged areas in the country.
• There are approximately 40,000 homes of which 13% detached, 38% semi-detached, 44% terraced and 5% flats. Approximately 72% of homes are owned, 23% belong to the Local Authority and 5% to other Registered Social Landlords.
• 5.6% of inspections across the area found an unacceptable level of litter. This is slightly worse than the County Durham average of 5%.

Positive Contribution

• Around 86% of residents said they would like to be more involved in at least  some decisions that affect their community. In addition, only 22% of residents felt they could influence these decisions.
• Around 1 in 6 of the adult population has carried out voluntary work in the last 12 months. This is lower than the rest of County Durham.

Education

• GCSE performance in Easington has doubled since 2002 to 62% (2008) but levels of passes for English and Maths are low in comparison to County Durham. Of these 16 year olds only 37.2% achieved at least a grade C in both Maths and English. This is below both the County Durham average (44.5%) and the England average (47.6%).
• Whilst applications from the area to University have increased the numbers with Higher Education qualifications are still very low at            18.2% compared to nationally (29%).
• Approximately 1 in 5 people of working age have ‘no qualifications’ putting them at a distinct disadvantage to other County Durham residents (1 in 7).

Dalton Park

Dalton Park, in Murton is the biggest outlet shopping centre in the region. It boasts sixty plus outlets selling the best in designer goods at low prices. The shop units are arranged

along a winding avenue, protected by large, white canvas awnings that keep the sun and the rain at bay. There are several places to eat, a children’s crèche and a playground. During 2008 there were 2.26M visitors to Dalton Park

Health and Wellbeing

• Slightly more than 6 out of 10 residents say their health is either good or very good. This is lower than the average for the rest of County Durham.
• Life expectancy in Easington is on average 2 years shorter for a male and almost 3 years for a woman in comparison to the national average.
• Easington adults have the worst diets in the country and are amongst some of the most inactive in the country (Community Health Profile 2008).

Economic Wellbeing

• The numbers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance has doubled since July 2008 to 3,072 or 5.3% in February 2009. This is higher than the County Durham claimant rate (4.6%) and the England and Wales claimant rate of 3.9%.
• If you have a mental health problem in Easington you are 2.5 times more likely to be out of work. We have the highest proportion of Incapacity Benefit claimants suffering from mental health in the country (Community Health Profile 2008).
• Levels of debt in comparison to income are amongst the worst in the country (DWP Experian Financial Profile 2008).
• For further information about Easington’s Labour Market Profile click here.

Community Safety

• The overall crime rate for this area is 82 crimes per 1,000 residents. This is higher than the average rate for County Durham which is 73 crimes per 1,000 residents but lower than the England and Wales rate which is 100 crimes per 1,000 residents.
• 47% of residents felt a lack of respect and consideration between people was a problem in their local area. This is higher than the rest of County Durham.
• Around 43% of residents say they feel safe in this area after dark. This is lower than the average for the rest of County Durham.

Around 1 in 5 residents feel the police and other local public services are successfully dealing with anti-social behaviour and crime. This is lower than the rest of County Durham.