strength
Community sport is already available
The Pontllanfraith leisure facilities have a verified opening.
Proposed response: Help residents use the new provision.
What could help →Caerphilly, in numbers
Issues and SWOT
Caerphilly council area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £747 a month (August 2026) in Caerphilly council area. This is £99 lower than the Wales average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.6% in Machen and Rudry to 21.6% in New Tredegar — a gap of 13 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Reduced opening can limit who can attend
New Tredegar’s model offers fewer sessions outside winter.
Proposed response: Check which users lose practical access.
What could help →weakness
Bring support closer to people in poor health
8.5% of people reported bad or very bad health in Caerphilly council area (21 March 2021). Across Wales, the figure was 6.9%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.9% in St Martins to 12.5% in Twyn Carno — a gap of 7.6 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Prepare access before the new hub opens
The new hub is being built with a March 2027 opening forecast.
Proposed response: Arrange affordable activities and accessible journeys before handover.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
20.1% of people in Caerphilly council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.4% in Hengoed to 26.3% in Nelson — a gap of 11.8 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
What could help →opportunity
Connect local skills to local opportunities
25.3% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Caerphilly council area. Across Wales, the figure was 31.5%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 14.7% in St Martins to 34.3% in Darran Valley — a gap of 19.6 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Caerphilly council area.
Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.
What could help →opportunity
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 14.4% in St Martins to 34.2% in Moriah and Pontlottyn — a gap of 19.8 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
threat
Old opening targets can mislead residents
The 2023 exhibition’s January 2026 target differs from the August 2026 update.
Proposed response: Keep current dates and service transition plans in one place.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Community sport is already availableCentre for Skills and Learning leisure facilities: Opened on 8 September 2025 | Caerphilly County Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Reduced opening can limit who can attendNew Tredegar Leisure Centre operating model: Revised model confirmed from April 2026 | Caerphilly County Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Prepare access before the new hub opensCaerphilly Leisure and Wellbeing Hub: Construction progressing; March 2027 opening forecast | Caerphilly County Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Old opening targets can mislead residentsCaerphilly Leisure and Wellbeing Hub: Construction progressing; March 2027 opening forecast | Caerphilly County Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £747 a month (August 2026) in Caerphilly council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.6% in Machen and Rudry to 21.6% in New Tredegar — a gap of 13 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 31 of 31 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plan homes and care around an older population20.1% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.4% in Hengoed to 26.3% in Nelson — a gap of 11.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 31 of 31 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health8.5% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.9% in St Martins to 12.5% in Twyn Carno — a gap of 7.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 31 of 31 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities25.3% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 14.7% in St Martins to 34.3% in Darran Valley — a gap of 19.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 31 of 31 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 14.4% in St Martins to 34.2% in Moriah and Pontlottyn — a gap of 19.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 31 of 31 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |