Ward profile
Employment, Benefits and Pension
Crime and Anti-social Behaviour
Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015 and 2019
Description
Boston Castle has a population of 15,236 (2021 census) and covers an area in central and south-central Rotherham.
The ward is represented by three members of the Council.
The ward covers Rotherham Town Centre and residential areas to the south including Canklow, Wellgate, Broom Valley and parts of Clifton and Moorgate.
Boston Castle is the most diverse ward in Rotherham with an extensive retail and commercial area in the town centre, industrial areas at Templeborough and Ickles, deprived council estates, inner urban flats including a high-rise block, terraced housing and affluent suburbs.
The ward also has the highest minority ethnic population in Rotherham.
The ward contains many Rotherham landmarks and facilities such as the General Hospital, the Magna Science Adventure Park, New York Stadium (Rotherham United FC), Clifton Park and Museum, Boston Park and Castle, Rotherham (RNN) and Thomas Rotherham Colleges.
In the south of the ward is Canklow Woods. Rotherham Central railway station is situated in the ward which includes tram/train services of Sheffield Supertram.
Find out more about Boston Castle on Rotherham Data Hub
Population by Age
The population of Boston Castle ward has decreased slightly since 2011, in contrast to the small increase in the borough population as a whole. The age structure of the population is younger than Rotherham as a whole with 61% of residents aged under 45 compared with the borough average of 54%.
|
Age |
Ward Population |
Ward Percentage |
Rotherham Percentage |
|
Age 00-15 |
3084 |
20.24 |
18.89 |
|
Age 16-24 |
1847 |
12.12 |
9.60 |
|
Age 25-44 |
4396 |
28.85 |
25.09 |
|
Age 45-64 |
3493 |
22.93 |
26.76 |
|
Age 65+ |
2416 |
15.86 |
19.66 |
|
Total |
15236 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
Ward ethnicity
Boston Castle is the most ethnically diverse ward in Rotherham with almost half of the population being from ethnic minority backgrounds, primarily Asian heritage. It is one of three wards with non-British white population exceeding 6% and Black/Black British exceeding 2%. The school age population is more diverse, being one of two wards where White British accounts for less than 50%.
|
Ethnicity |
Ward % |
Rotherham % |
England % |
|
White British |
53.60 |
88.30 |
74.70 |
|
Asian/Asian British |
29.50 |
5.30 |
9.60 |
|
White Other |
8.00 |
2.80 |
6.30 |
|
Mixed/multiple |
2.30 |
1.40 |
3.00 |
|
Black/Black British |
2.40 |
1.10 |
4.20 |
|
Other |
4.20 |
1.10 |
2.20 |
Housing
Total dwellings (2021 Census) - 6543
Total dwellings (2011 Census) - 6326
Change since 2011 (%) – 3.40
Number of households
Households (2021 Census) - 6100
Households (2011 Census) - 6326
Change since 2011 (%) - -3.60
Population Density (no. of residents per square Kilometre) 2021 Census
Ward – 1,837.10
Rotherham - 927.70
Employment, Benefits and Pensions
In Boston Castle ward the total claimant count in July 2023 is 785, which is 7.9% of the working age population. This is higher than the Rotherham average where the claimant count is 4.3% of the working age population.
Over a quarter (26%) of all jobs in Rotherham Borough are located in Boston Castle ward, mainly in the town centre. The local council and general hospital are the biggest employer in the ward. Almost a third of employment is in health. There are almost three times as many jobs as people of working age in the ward, which relies heavily on workers coming in from other areas.
Health
In Boston Castle 44.7% are in very good health, and 1.7% are in very bad health. In comparison, in Rotherham 44.2% are in very good health and 1.6% are in very bad health.
According to Census 2021, in Boston Castle ward, 19.8% of the population are considered to be disabled under the Equality Act 2010, compared to 21.1% in Rotherham and 17.3% in England. The definition of disability in Census 2021 was: People who assessed their day to day activities as limited by long-term physical or mental health conditions of illnesses are considered disabled. Thus definition of a disabled person meets the harmonised standard for measuring disability and is in line with the Equality Act (2010).
Life expectancy
In the period 2016-2020, Boston Castle ward's life expectancy at birth for females is 80 years and for males is 76 years. This is worse than the England average. In comparison, Rotherham's life expectancy for females is 81.3 years and for males is 77.6 years.
In the period 2016-2020, Boston Castle ward's life expectancy at birth for females is 80 years and for males is 76 years. This is worse than the England average. In comparison, Rotherham's life expectancy for females is 81.3 years and for males is 77.6 years.
Lifestyle and disease
In the 2016-20 time period, the mortality ratio for deaths from respiratory disease in Boston Castle ward is 147.7. This is worse than England. In comparison, the lowest mortality ratio for deaths from respiratory disease in a Rotherham ward is 79.9 in Bramley & Ravenfield ward and the highest ratio is 209.1 in Rother Vale ward.
In the 2016-20 time period, the mortality ratio for deaths from coronary heart disease in Boston Castle ward is 120.7. This is similar to England. In comparison, the lowest mortality ratio for deaths from coronary heart disease in a Rotherham ward is 76.2 in Aston & Todwick ward and the highest ratio is 152.1 in Rotherham East ward.
In the 2016-20 time period, the mortality ratio for deaths from circulatory disease in Boston Castle ward is 117.8. This is worse than England. In comparison, the lowest mortality ratio for deaths from circulatory disease in a Rotherham ward is 73.5 in Aston & Todwick ward and the highest ratio is 141.9 in Rother Vale ward.
In the 2016-20 time period, the mortality ratio for deaths from cancer in Boston Castle ward is 98.7. This is similar to England. In comparison, the lowest mortality ratio for deaths from cancer in a Rotherham ward is 94.2 in Aston & Todwick ward and the highest ratio is 152.1 in Rother Vale ward.
Obesity
In Boston Castle ward (for the time period 2019/20-2021/22) the percentage of children in Reception (aged 4-5 years) classified as overweight or obese is 28%. This is worse than the England average. The percentage of children classified as obese (including severe obesity) is 14.7%. This is worse than the England average. In Rotherham overall (for comparison) the percentage of children aged 4-5 years classified as overweight or obese is 25.1% and the percentage classified as obese (including severe obesity) is 11.4%.
In Boston Castle ward (for the time period 2019/20-2021/22) the percentage of children in Year 6 (aged 10-11 years) classified as overweight or obese is 40.8%. This is worse than the England average. The percentage of children classified as obese (including severe obesity) is 26.3%. This is worse than the England average. In Rotherham overall (for comparison) the percentage of children aged 10-11 years classified as overweight or obese is 38.8% and the percentage classified as obese (including severe obesity) is 25.1%.
Education
According to Census 2021, in Boston Castle ward 26.7% of residents aged 16 or over have no qualifications, and 26.6% are qualified to level 4 or above. In comparison 23.4% in Rotherham have no qualifications and 23.1% are qualified to level 4 or above.
For Boston Castle ward in 2023, there was a total of 202 pupils at the end of key stage 2, of which 75.2% were disadvantaged compared to 54.5% for Rotherham overall. The percentage of pupils in the ward achieving the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths was 56.4%, compared to 54.5% in Rotherham and 59% nationally.
For Boston Castle ward in 2023, there was a total of 192 pupils at the end of key stage 4, of which 71.9% of pupils were disadvantaged, compared to 53.4%% in Rotherham overall. The average Attainment 8 score for the ward was 43.9, compared to 43.2 in Rotherham and 46.2 nationally.
Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
Levels of recorded crime and anti-social behaviour in Boston Castle ward are higher than the Rotherham average.
In Boston & Castle ward in 2021 there were a total of 3,855 recorded crimes. This equates to 253 recorded crimes per 1,000 population compared to 110 per 1,000 population for Rotherham.
In Boston Castle ward in 2021, there were a total of 634 recorded incidents of anti-social behaviour. This equates to 42 recorded incidents per 1,000 population, compared to 19 per 1,000 population for Rotherham.
Index of deprivation
Boston Castle ward has a rank of 7 out of 25 wards in Rotherham and is in Decile 3. Of the 25 wards in Rotherham, 5 are in the top 20% most deprived in the country (deciles 1 and 2). The top 3 most deprived wards in Rotherham are Rotherham East, Dalton & Thrybergh and Maltby East.
Deprivation in Boston Castle ward is well above the borough average and in most of the ward is also above the national average. There are 2 neighbourhoods which are within the most 10% deprived in England (Canklow North and the Town Centre).
In Boston Castle ward, the proportion of all children aged 0-15 living in income deprived families is 24.7% and the proportion of those aged 60 or over who experience income deprivation is 20.4%. The ward with the highest proportion of children aged 0-15 living in income deprived families is Dalton & Thrybergh ward at 39.1%. The ward with the highest proportion of those aged 60 and over who experience income deprivation is Rotherham East ward at 36.9%.
Data Sources
Data sources contained within this document include:
Population - ONS Census data via NOMIS Ethnicity - ONS Census data via NOMIS
Religion - ONS Census data via NOMIS
Housing - ONS Census data via NOMIS
Households - ONS Census data via NOMIS
Unemployment claimants aged 16-64 - ONS Claimant Count via NOMIS
Types of employment - Business Register and Employment Survey via NOMIS
General Health - ONS Census data via NOMIS
Disability - ONS Census data via NOMIS
Life expectancy at birth - Public Health England Fingertips
Causes of death - Public Health England Fingertips
Overweight and obesity in children - Public Health England Fingertips
Highest level of education - ONS Census data via NOMIS
Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 attainment - RMBC Children & Young People's Services
Index of Multiple Deprivation - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Community assets map - OpenStreetMap via TomTom/Microsoft Corporation
Access to green space - Green Space Index 2023 commissioned by The Ordinance Survey and undertaken by The Fields in Trust
Crime data - www.police.uk