West Sussex Life

About

Discover all you need to know about West Sussex.

West Sussex Life 2017-19 is a comprehensive research tool presenting the latest statistics and information available about all areas of public interest in West Sussex.

West Sussex Life provides our residents, businesses and public sector services with a free resource to support their work and use for personal reference.

Easy to explore, well-presented and accessible online - the new edition of West Sussex Life displays data in a visually engaging way and suitable for school pupils, professionals, businesses and anyone interested in finding out more about their community.

What can West Sussex Life teach me?

The latest instalment will give readers a local insight on social, economic and demographic characteristics across a host of subject areas.

Learn about a number of key topics:

• Population – Who lives in West Sussex? Which county areas are most-populated? What our future population could look like?
 
• Economy – Find out about economic activity in West Sussex, compare the number of employees across industry sectors, and find out about the different sorts of businesses that locate here.
 
• Housing – Know the average value of houses in West Sussex, find out the number of new-builds recently completed and compare the popularity among different housing types.

• Health and wellbeing – Discover how many of us maintain a healthy diet, understand the level of obesity in children and adults and find about the common causes of death across the county.

• Environment – Learn about renewable energy and sustainability in West Sussex, compare energy consumption between districts, and find out how much waste we dispose of across the county.

View the latest edition of West Sussex Life online.

You can also read a copy in your local library.

Start of Life

In October 2015, West Sussex County Council and partner organisations launched a five-year plan committing to safeguard children and young people with the aim of giving them the best possible start in life.

The West Sussex Families Plan highlights how the partnership will work together to provide support to children and young people who are bullied, help those who have been subject to abuse or neglect and offer advice to new mothers and teenage parents.

You can find out all about our children’s comparative upbringing and future prospects inside the new edition of West Sussex Life 2017-19.

Education and Skills

From finding out about Early Years Foundation Stage (0-5 years) education right through to GCSE attainment and uptake in apprenticeships – you can see for yourself how children and young people are currently performing in different age groups and compare results at district and national level.

Information is also available about school pupils with Special Educational Needs and you can learn more about these varying needs and types of provision given.

Deprivation and Need

You might work with children but not know about the effect on children raised by a low income family. Become familiar with the reality of Child Poverty and learn about the county’s most deprived areas in relation to disability, employment, education, skills and training.

Later Life

Last year, WSCC produced the four-year West Sussex Plan – a document outlining a number of pledges made to residents, such as helping the elderly to live independent lives for longer.

Delivering care provision is a key responsibility of the County Council’s. This includes information and advice relating to choosing care providers, finance options and support for carers.

In 2019, it is projected that the cost of care for the elderly in West Sussex will amount to more than half of the County Council’s budget.

Health and Wellbeing

Use West Sussex Life to get an overview of our elderly residents’ wellbeing and find out the general feeling among over 65s following their health self-assessment.  

Disability-free life expectancy is a measurement of the number of years men and women live without some form of limiting illness or disability. Discover the average age of West Sussex residents who live a healthy life and compare with data from the South East and England as whole. 

Make yourself aware of some of the common causes of death in the county and find out if you know of a friend or family member who you could help overcome an addiction such as heavy smoking and excessive drinking.

Economy

Championing the West Sussex economy represents the County Council’s third and final core priority proposed in last year’s Future West Sussex Plan.

And now you can view the progress the county has made following our promise to promote enterprise growth, develop young people’s skills and strive to attract and retain new businesses.

Use the new edition of West Sussex Life as a research tool to draw upon facts and key statistics that could support your academic and professional work. If you want to find out more about your customer base or are thinking of setting up a new business in the area – be informed and take a look at West Sussex Life.

Employment

Compare the proportion of employees working across varying sectors in West Sussex and work out which trades are more popular in certain areas of the county.

Discover which districts employ a majority share of specialist industries and find out which areas of the county are known to deliver specific public services.

Housing

Find out how house prices in West Sussex have changed over the last 20 years, understand the county's housing need, learn how many houses have been built and are projected to be built.

Business and Enterprise

No matter whether small, medium, large or even micro – the number and types of businesses operating in the county is covered in West Sussex Life. Read up on the percentage share of registered businesses active in each district and find out the proportion of West Sussex firms by sector that make up the national total.