How does your area of Luton compare to the rest of the town - from overcrowding to preventable deaths

Want to find out how your area of Luton compares to the rest of the town?

A new Social Progress Index has been developed showing which wards are doing well and which are struggling, giving Luton Council a tool to better understand the needs of its residents.

The Index is made up of three parts: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing and Opportunity. Each part then contains groups of indicators that provide an accurate insight into how each ward is doing. An overall SPI score – up to 100 – shows how wards compare to each other and if progress is being made year on year.

The index reveals the worst impacted wards are Central and South, while Bramingham and Barnfield are among the top wards.

Visit this link to find out how your area stacks up against the rest of the town.

For basic human needs, which covers housing, sanitation, medical care and personal safety, Bramingham scores 78.77 out of 100. But in South ward the score is 37.58. South and Central also score highest for reported domestic abuse cases.

Dallow, Beech Hill and Biscot are the most overcrowded wards in terms of people versus bedrooms recorded in the 2021 census. Lewsey is the worst ward for death by preventable causes in the under 75s. Leagrave and Sundon Park are among the wards with the highest number of children on free school meals.

In Foundations for Wellbeing, which judges basic education, access to information and access to a modern healthcare system, Bramingham and Barnfield again do well along with Stopsley, Wigmore and Vauxhall. But Dallow is the hardest hit ward, alongside Beech Hill and Biscot. Leagrave is hardest hit with diabetes prevalence. Farley and South have the highest figures for mental health prevalence. South and Central also have the most noise complaints to the council.

In Opportunity, South and Central have the worst figures for residents to be able to better themselves, while Bramingham and Barnfield are again among the top wards. Wigmore and Leagrave are the top wards for people who walk or cycle.

Councillor Khtija Malik, portfolio holder for public health with responsibility for business intelligence, said: “The social progress index (SPI) is another step on our data and insight journey. With SPI we focus on real time indicators that highlight basic human needs such as housing, safety, health and wellbeing of our residents. We feel with this insight we will be better placed in how we work with our residents and partners in redressing the challenges we have in Luton. Genuinely turning insight into action in support of delivering our 2040 ambitions.”

A spokesman for the council said: “Where you live has an impact on your quality of life, and in return, your contribution to making your community a better place. The SPI enables us to build understanding of what's happening at ward level, so we can have conversations with communities about what is making a difference to people's lives.

“The Social Progress Index can be used by residents to see how their ward is performing. It can be used by charities, businesses and other organisations in Luton to see what’s working well and what’s not, so that they can do better and more in the areas needing attention.”