This report draws on the following components of the Community Appraisal:
As a county, Somerset is not especially wealthy, perhaps due to its slightly higher than average proportion of pensioners, and to the fact that its economy is disproportionately dependant on relatively low-paid industries such as tourism and farming. Out of the 118 counties in the UK, Somerset is at number 68, with an average weekly income of £407.5 per person, against the national average of £442.4
Somerset CC has a way of rating all its parishes’ relative deprivation levels according to a calculation known as Multiple Deprivation Indices. These cover: receipt of benefits, demography, health, housing and social services. Wedmore is number 119 out of 152 parishes, making it not very deprived by Somerset standards, although some parishioners may be surprised that Axbridge rates as considerably more deprived than Wedmore, with Mark, Cheddar and Shipham less deprived (the lowest number indicates the most deprived):
| Parish | National Rank no. | Somerset Rank no. |
|---|---|---|
| Taunton Halcon | 784 | 1 |
| Highbridge | 1,413 | 6 |
| Burnham North | 4,103 | 66 |
| Axbridge | 4,649 | 87 |
| Wedmore | 5,801 | 119 |
| Mark | 6,839 | 144 |
| Cheddar | 6,853 | 145 |
| Shipham | 7,481 | 151 |
Those in the lowest-income group here, representing 13% of Wedmore households, are calculated to be receiving, on average, an income of £10,000 a year, as a household. This is much less than half the national average income, which was £23,000 per full-time adult employee in 2001.
53% of those living on less than £15,000 a year are aged over 65. Thus, elderly people in the parish are approximately twice as likely to be on this low level of income as are all other adult parishioners, and farmers are almost three times as likely to be living on this income level. Their responses to certain questions in the main survey indicate that a good proportion are disabled or too frail to be very mobile.
The preponderance of farmers in this group is highlighted by the national data on earnings, which show agriculture as the lowest-paid industry in the country, with average male earnings less than half those in financial and business services:
| Industry worked in (males in full-time employment) | Av. weekly earnings |
|---|---|
| Whole economy | £488.2 |
| Financial and business services | £631.2 |
| Mining, quarrying, utilities | £553.7 |
| Education, social work, health services | £489.9 |
| Public administration and defence | £475.2 |
| Other | £468.3 |
| Manufacturing | £462.5 |
| Transport, storage and communication | £457.2 |
| Construction | £451.2 |
| Distribution, hotels and catering | £411.3 |
| Agriculture, forestry and gamekeeping | £311.9 |
Members of this group are also twice as likely to be women than men, reflecting the age profile and women’s longer life expectancy and lower income generally. The older age profile also means that people at this income level are less likely to have dependent children.
This group is less likely to live in Wedmore village, and nearly twice as likely to live in Cocklake. They are the least likely income group to have lived in the parish for less than five years, and twice as likely as others to have been here for more than thirty years and to belong to families who have lived here for generations.
Although, overall, Wedmore could not be described as a deprived community, there is a significant minority - 13% of our community is approximately 400 people - who are living on very low incomes indeed. Furthermore, these people are most likely to be elderly and/or farmers, making it particularly difficult for them to find a way out of their low income situation.
It is very important that the Parish Plan addresses the needs of this group in detail, as well as the needs of the more wealthy majority.
Issues for this group are: public transport and access to retail and medical services for those who have no car and/or have impaired mobility. They are more likely than other groups in the community to be dependant on social services, including the Community Bus. They do not seem unduly miserable, however, and seem to take full advantage of everything the Wedmore community has to offer. They are, for example, very interested in wildlife and the environment.
Traffic issues.
This group is broadly in line with the rest of the parish in its concern over road traffic issues. If anything, it is rather more adamant in its concerns than other adults in the parish, particularly regarding ‘parked cars on blind bends’, where 95% of this group are concerned, with 80% expressing themselves extremely concerned.
They are disproportionately in favour of double yellow lines on blind bends, a one-way system in Wedmore centre, a twenty mile an hour speed limit in Wedmore, and a 40mph speed limit between Wedmore and Clewer. They are the group most strongly in favour of disabled parking spaces, and for a 40mph speed limit between Wedmore and Blackford.
Housing
They are more keen than the rest of the parish that any new housing should be allowed to be built ‘anywhere’, rather than restricted to brownfield sites first. They particularly feel that the community needs more local authority/housing association rented housing, and most emphatically that the whole community would benefit from an increase in low cost rented housing and houses for sale to local people only, as well as housing which is shared ownership with a housing association.
They are the group which most strongly supports the need for sheltered housing for people aged 60+ - 67% feel this would be important for the whole community, compared to only 50% of all adults. Similarly, they are the group most strongly in favour of more adapted housing for the elderly/disabled.
Above all, they feel that the community needs a nursing home for the elderly - 51% feel that this is important for the whole community, compared to 42% overall. Even the 65+ age group scores lower than this group on this issue!
Crime and anti-social behaviour
This lowest income group has the highest level of concern about noise disturbance (other than traffic) with 69% thinking it important, compared to 61% of the total sample. Similarly for house burglary - 91% are concerned, compared to 87% for the whole community, and 73% think this is extremely important compared to only 64% overall.
Because of the high proportion of farmers in this group, they score very high on concern about theft/damage to farming equipment (87% vs 76% for all adults). Similarly, their high relative level of concern over drug and alcohol abuse, vandalism and under-age drinking, reflects their preponderance of over 65s, who also feel strongly about these issues.
They are above-averagely disapproving of litter (84% vs 80% overall) and extremely irate about dog fouling - 88% believe this is important, compared to 82% overall, and 66% find it extremely important compared to 49% overall. Indeed, this group is more likely to have been personally affected by dog fouling than any other group in the parish, so, not surprisingly, they are the most adamant about wanting dog-fouling regulations enforced!
They are the group most enthusiastic about the Neighbour hood Watch scheme - 92% agree with it as a measure to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour. They are also most likely to support the idea of transport to/from the villages on Fri/Sat nights; and to strongly agree with the idea of increasing the litter-clearing services in the parish.
In line with elderly people, they would most like to see more policing on the streets, and the minimum drinking age enforced in pubs. 78% of them would like a Parish Warden to be appointed, compared to 65% of adults overall. CCTV cameras also get their approval, to the same extent as they do from elderly folk. 82% of them support the notion of there being more drug/drink education/prevention.
Diversification of farmland use
On this issue, there being a large overlap between the lowest income group and farmers, this group is frequently aligned with farmers - i.e. they want housing estates, industrial/business units, and tourist attractions/accommodation. However they diverge from farmers when it comes to planting woodland, of which they wholeheartedly approve, whilst farmers are only slightly in favour of it. Similarly, they are keen on seeing new orchards planted, which farmers are less enthusiastic about.
Interestingly, they are twice as likely as the rest of Wedmore to believe that the parish should ‘become like a small, lively town, like Cheddar’.
Churches and Chapels
Reflecting the group’s preponderance of elderly people, they are more likely to view the parish’s churches and chapels as important for Sunday and weekly services than any other group apart from farmers and the over-65s.
Transport
This group is the least likely use a car, either always or often; and the least likely ever to use a bicycle apart from the over 65s. Along with the elderly, they are the most likely to use the Community Bus and, apart from farmers, they are the most likely to use a tractor.
Apart from the youngest group - 15-24 year olds - the lowest income group is the most likely to use the public bus service. Along with the elderly, farmers and C2DEs they are most likely to use the bus for shopping and medical visits.
In terms of suggested improvements to the bus service, this group is broadly in agreement with the rest of the community, except that they are significantly more price-conscious - 66% of them believe that ticket prices should be improved. And they are more likely to demand wheelchair/pushchair access.
Education and Employment
54% of this group is retired, compared with only 35% for the parish as a whole, and 14% work in farming, compared to 5.5% overall. They have a relatively low level of interest in adult education, compared with other groups in the community.
The Environment
When it comes to the Environment, this group is very much out of line with farmers. Improvements to the local environment particularly supported by this group would be: wildlife reserves, a limit to the use of agro-chemicals on the land and the introduction of a lorry ban. They are the group most in favour of planting new cider-orchards, building a by-pass and wind-powere turbines, compared to farmers, who are the least in favour of these things.
Health
This group is the most loyal to the Wedmore GP surgery and chemist. This may be due to their lower level of access too a car, however, not surprisingly, they are disproportionately prepared to travel in order to save on medical costs. A significant majority of these people use a dentist outside of the parish in order to obtain NHS treatment, and, if there were an NHS dental service in Wedmore, 72% of them would switch to it.
Social Services
This group is more than twice as likely as the rest of the parish to rely on the loan of medical equipment and the provision of Meals on Wheels from social services. They are three times as likely to need home helps, a social worker and ‘any other DSS benefits’, and twice as likely to need a jobseekers’ allowance.
Retail Services
People in this lowest income group are broadly in line with the rest of the community in that almost all of them ever use the most essential retail services ( e.g. PO, Paper Shop, fishmongers/greengrocers, chemist ) but a minority of them, along with the over 65s, are more likely than others to need retail services ‘always’ - e.g. Bank/ Building society. Again, this is most likely to be due to their relative lack of ready transport. Not surprisingly, they have a below-average use for the more non-essential outlets, e.g. restaurants, antique/interior design/gift shops.
They are the group most attracted to the idea of a charity shop and a flea-market coming to Wedmore, and a majority would also welcome a mixed street market and a health food shop.
Technology
This group, along with the Over-65s, have the lowest penetration of home computers - 53% have no PC in the home, compared to 94% for the next income group up. Those who did have one were predominantly over 65. Compared to the rest of the parish, these people have relatively little interest in improved mobile phone reception or Broadband internet access.
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