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This is Wirral: The Content

This is Wirral is a collected set of evidence about Wirral. It includes information about the Wirral population including their current and future health and wellbeing needs and the borough including information about the economy, housing, environment and transport.

The insight is collected into a number of sections to allow ease of access for the reader.

Each section contains detailed content including the key messages from the analysis and insight on main issues and is underpinned by detailed information.

The information forms our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) providing a detailed picture of the borough.

It is used to enable effective strategic planning to determine what actions local authorities and other partners need to take to meet resident needs and to address the wider determinants that impact on health and wellbeing.

In summary Wirral is a borough of contrasts, both in its physical characteristics and demographics. Rural areas and urban and industrialised areas sit side by side in a compact peninsula of just 60 square miles and 24 miles of coastline.

The most recent population figures for Wirral show the population was 322,796 in 2018 (mid-year 2017 estimates), making it one of the largest metropolitan boroughs in England.

Demographically, Wirral differs slightly to England, as it has a lower proportion of younger adults in their 20s and 30s and a higher proportion of older people.

In addition, life expectancy varies by around 10 years between wards in the east and west of Wirral, reflecting the large inequalities which are apparent in the Borough.

Wirral does however perform well compared to other, demographically similar areas on a range of factors such as homelessness and educational attainment. The percentage of children classed as being ready for school and attainment at GCSE are above average and these are both hugely important for the future prosperity of Wirral residents, given that education is an established route out of poverty.

Below is the one document containing all the key messages from across the suite of content plus all related infographics.

The first and only edition to date of the 'This is Wirral' content was originally collated in 2019 then published in December 2019.

At this time no updates or refreshes are planned (Summer 2021).