Case study - Middlesbrough and Hart

• Middlesbrough


  • North East England at the heart of Teesside
  • Large Industrial towns
  • It has good links into Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester
• Demographic of Middlesbrough


  • Population: 3300
  • Majority of the population are 20-39 year olds
  • High proportion of 0-9 year olds
  • 85% of the population live in a whole house
  • 14% of residents live in flats
  • 40% of people are economically active
• 49% of Middlesbrough is in the 10% most deprived areas in England
• Unemployment rate in Middlesbrough was 5.1% (3.5% in England)
• Life expectancy in Middlesbrough is 11.7 years lower for men and 12 years lower for women compared to the rest of England
• Middlesbrough is ranking in the top 1.5% of areas most at risk of crime nationally
• Housing tenure in North Ormesby

  • Private landlord renting: 36.7%
  • Owner-occupiers: 19.4%
  • Owners: 19.2%
  • Socially renting: 12.9%
• High number of renters and owner-occupiers

  Suggests people earn low wages and can't afford to buy houses outright
• In Sept 2020, 9.9% of properties in Middlesbrough were abandoned, with £400,000 due in council tax
• Rising number of terraced houses in Middlesbrough

  Highlights that there are families but if there are large families the children may have to share their rooms which can impact their education if they do not have their own space to study
• Zero hour contracts


  Excludes people from buying cars and houses as it isn't stable employment
• Car ownership in North Ormesby

  • No car: 61%
  • One car: 30%
• Low car ownership in North Ormesby

  Suggests people cannot afford cars and insurance due to a lack of disposable income, restricting their physical geography and ability to find higher wages
• 36% of people in North Ormesby have no qualifications
• 21.3% of children are obese in North Ormesby, due to processed and unhealthy food being cheaper so low income families are forced to give their children unhealthy food
• 6% of families in North Ormesby do not have central heating, leading to young children becoming more vulnerable to asthma and decreasing their standard of living
• Crime rate in Middlesbrough

  • 174 crimes per 1000 people (2023)
  • 75.9% per 1000 people in 2022-3
• High crime rates in Middlesbrough

  Poverty is making people turn to crime since they see the reward as more valuable than the risk - children are vulnerable to crime and they may turn away from their education
• Digital divide in Middlesbrough

  • People are restricted to the jobs in their area - post-Industrial towns with low wage jobs gives people less jobs
  • Basic digital skills can help employment opportunities
• 35% of children in Middlesbrough do not have sufficient access to technology, which may lead to them doing less well in school and learning at home
• Hart


  • Southern England
  • Direct transport links (trains and the M3) to London
• Demographic of Hart


  • Population: 99,400 (2021)
  • 58.6% of people are 18-64 year olds meaning there are less families and more workers
• Average house price in Hart is £419,231, 8.8 times the average annual pre-tax local income
• Average income in Hart is £38,095, compared to £34,963 in England
• Unemployment level in Hart is 1.5%, compared to 3.5% in England
• Housing tenure in Hart

  • 70% of residents own their own home
  • 29% of residents rent privately or socially
• High home ownership in Hart

  Suggests people have enough disposable income to buy a house
• Population density in Hart is 4.66 people per hectare, compared to 434 people per km2 in England
• Low population density in Hart

  Highlights people have more space and green spaces, good for both adult's mental health and children
• 24% of people in Hart are in professional occupations
• 41% of people in Hart have a level 4 education or above
• Schools in Hart


  • 34 state funded and 5 independent schools
  • Children are more likely to do better in school since there is more resources and prep - gain more qualifications
• Life expectancy in Hart is 83.3 years for men and 85.4 years for women, higher than in England
• Crime rate in Hart is 54.1 crimes reported per 1000 people, mainly smaller offenses
• Digital divide in Hart

  • More people use the internet services like online shopping and paying bills easier and quicker so people have more leisure time
  • The National Superfast Broadband Programme has been successful since 98% of households in the country have faster internet and are more connected to services