Published: March 2025

Housing is widely recognised as a key social determinant of health. Housing conditions can impact physical and mental health; living in below standard homes can exacerbate some conditions and lead to poorer outcomes for the people who live there.

The Wakefield Housing Plan 2023-2026 includes Better Homes within its three key themes, alongside More Homes and Sustainable Communities. Priorities for Better Homes include improving specialist housing options, ensuring the supply of good quality, healthy and safe private rented properties with supported tenants, aligning housing to health needs to support people and improving health and wellbeing outcomes, and addressing migrant housing need and provision. The number of houses in Wakefield is increasing as housing development continues in the district. More people are moving into Wakefield from neighbouring districts due to this growth.

Headlines

In 2021, 14.9% of households in Wakefield were privately rented (compared to only 5.0% in 2001). According to the English Housing Survey 2023-24, the private rented sector has a higher percentage of non-decent homes compared to other housing tenures, with almost one in three (31.0%) privately rented homes classifield as ‘non-decent’ across the Yorkshire and the Humber region in 2023.
Only 13.1% of household reference persons (HRP) who identified within the White British category lived in private rented households. HRPs who identifed within other minority ethnicity groups were more likely to live in private rented accommodation. More than four in ten (43.3%) people who identifed within the Other White Background category lived in private rented households. A HRP is a person who serves as a reference point, mainly based on economic activity and age, to characterise a whole household.
Wakefield’s percentage of households categorised as overcrowded was 2.4%, lower than national levels and those of the majority of neighbouring local authorities, however there is variation across the district with higher levels in areas around Wakefield city centre and in the most deprived areas of the district. HRPs who identified within other minority ethnicity groups were more likely to live in households categorised as overcrowded, compared to those who identifed within the White British category.
Although the percentage of households in Wakefield with no central heating (1.0%) is lower than regional and national levels (both 1.5%), and also lower than some nearby local authority neighbours, people on lower incomes or those who are struggling with increasing energy costs may still not use their central heating systems, potentially making themselves and their families vulnerable to the cold. There is variation across Wakefield District with higher percentages of households with no central heating in some areas around the centre of Wakefield and in the most deprived areas of the district.
According to the English Housing survey 2023-24, 5.2% of homes in England had a problem with damp in 2023, which was higher than in any of the previous five years. Damp increased across all housing tenures but was more prevalent in the private rented sector.

Housing and wellbeing

The Marmot Review (2010) described housing as a social determinant of health. The Marmot Review 10 Years On – Health Equity in England expanded this further:

“Poor-quality housing harms health and evidence shows that exposure to poor housing conditions (including damp, cold, mould, noise) is strongly associated with poor health, both physical and mental. The longer the exposure to poor conditions, including cold, the greater the impact on mental and physical health. Specific physical effects are morbidity including respiratory conditions, cardiovascular disease and communicable disease transmission, and increased mortality. In terms of mental health impacts, living in non-decent, cold or overcrowded housing and in unaffordable housing has been associated with increased stress and a reduction in a sense of empowerment and control over one’s life and with depression and anxiety. Children living in overcrowded homes are more likely to be stressed, anxious and depressed, have poorer physical health, attain less well at school and have a greater risk of behavioural problems than those in uncrowded homes.”

Charities, such as The Mental Health Foundation and Mind, have made links between mental health and housing uncertainty and conditions, arguing that poor housing can contribute to stress, anxiety and depression, sleep problems, and relationship issues. There has also been some research into how other aspects of housing, and a person’s experience of their home, may have impacts on a person or family’s health and wellbeing. Initial findings showed that a positive tenancy experience and relationship with their housing provider, the quality of the property in terms of the tenant’s expectations, and neighbourhood and support networks in the local area can contribute to a person’s feeling of wellbeing.

The English Housing Survey 2023-24 asked respondents about their wellbeing with questions of how satisfied they were with life, if they felt the things they did in their life were worthwhile, how happy they felt at the moment, and how anxious they felt. Generally, a household reported a higher wellbeing score if their home was ‘decent’ without any damp problems. There were lower average scores (out of ten) for happiness, life satisfation, and feeling that life is worthwhile in those living in houses that were classified as ‘non decent’ compared to those in the ‘decent’ category. Those living in ‘non decent’ homes were more likely to report worse general health than those in ‘decent’ homes. For a dwelling to be considered ‘decent’ under the Decent Homes Standard it must meet the statutory minimum standard for housing, provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort, be in a reasonable state of repair, and have reasonably modern facilities and services. Although there are obviously other factors involved, a person’s living conditions can contribute to their overall health and feeling of wellbeing.

How does Wakefield compare nationally?

This section contains nationally published data from the 2021 Census.

Wakefield’s percentage of households categorised as overcrowded (an occupancy rating of -1 or more, having fewer bedrooms than required) was 2.4%, lower than national levels and those of the majority of neighbouring local authorities. Wakefield households were more likely to have more bedrooms than required, compared to national levels.
The private rented sector has grown in Wakefield since 2001, in line with regional and national increases. In 2021, 14.9% of households in Wakefield were privately rented (compared to only 5.0% in 2001). According to the English Housing Survey 2023-24, the private rented sector has a higher percentage of ‘non decent’ homes compared to other housing tenures, with almost one in three (31.0%) privately rented homes classifield as ‘non decent’ across Yorkshire and the Humber in 2023.
Although the percentage of households in Wakefield with no central heating (1.0%) is lower than regional and national levels (both 1.5%), and also lower than some nearby local authority neighbours, people on lower incomes or those who are struggling with increasing energy costs may still not use their central heating systems, potentially making themselves and their families vulnerable to the cold.
In terms of house prices and affordability, Wakefield had an affordability of home ownership ratio of 6.2 in 2023, in line with the Yorkshire and Humber region (6.1) but lower than the England national level (8.3). This measure is a ratio of average (median) house price to average (median) gross annual household earnings. A higher ratio indicates that, on average, it is less affordable for a resident to purchase a house in their local authority district. Although Wakefield’s ratio is lower than the national level, house prices have increased across the country and locally.
The average house price in Wakefield was £195,000 in December 2024, which was a 6.3% increase from the average house price a year previously in December 2023 and more than six times average annual earnings in the district. Monthly private rents rose slightly to an average of £748 in January 2025, an annual increase of 1.1% from £741 in January 2024.

The interactive dashboard below can be used to explore the housing differences between Wakefield, other areas and national levels. Click on the buttons at the bottom to navigate between the different pages and the buttons on the left of each page to explore the different measures.

What are the differences within Wakefield District?

This section contains nationally published data from the 2021 Census.

There is variation across the district in terms of overcrowding and under-occupancy, housing tenure and households with no central heating. When comparing areas categorised as the most deprived areas in the district to those in the least deprived, there are significant differences across all the measures shown.

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas or neighbourhoods in England. Quintile 1 represents the most deprived areas of the district; Quintile 5 represents the least deprived. Almost half (45.5%) of properties in the most deprived areas of the district are social rented, ten times higher than in the least deprived areas (4.5%). More than eight in ten (83.0%) properties in the least deprived areas were owned by the occupier, either outright or with a mortgage. Privately rented properties are spread relatively evenly across each deprivation quintile, with Quintiles 2 and 3 showing the highest levels around 16-18%. The least deprived areas of the district showed lower levels of privately rented properties (11.5%).
In Wakefield city centre, the percentage of privately rented homes is over 30%, compared to other areas of the district with as little as 6.7% privately rented homes. Almost half of households in Lupset (43.3%) are social rented properties with Eastmoor (37.2%), Airedale Ferry Fryston (35.9%), and centre of Wakefield (31.9%) all having higher levels of social rented housing.
Only 13.1% of HRPs who identified within the White British category lived in private rented households. HRPs who identifed within other minority ethnicity groups were more likely to live in private rented accommodation. More than four in ten (43.3%) people who identifed within the Other White Background lived in private rented households.
Although only 2.4% of Wakefield’s homes are categorised as overcrowded overall, it ranges between 1.0% in some areas to 8.9% in Eastmoor. As well as Eastmoor, other areas in and around the centre of Wakefield, including Flanshaw and Lupset, have higher percentages of homes categorised as overcrowded compared to the rest of the district.
There is also variation in households categorised as overcrowded by the ethinicity group the HRP identifies with. One in five (20.5%) households where the HRP identifies within the Asian or Asian British category were classified as overcrowded and, in general, households where the HRP identifies within a minority ethnicity category tend to show higher levels of overcrowded households in comparison to those who identify within the White British category (3.9%).
Again, some areas around the centre of Wakefield have higher levels of households with no central heating in comparison to other areas. Almost 2.0% of households in Wakefield centre, Flanshaw and Eastmoor have no central heating, compared to the district average of 1.0%. Some areas of the district, in the least deprived areas, have only around half a percent (0.5%) of homes with no central heating.
The Wakefield Adult Population Health Survey, conducted in 2023, asked respondents about the adequacy of their home or present accommodation for their household’s need. Just under a quarter (22.5%) of respondents who were living in private or social rented accommodation said they felt their homes were currently not adequate for their needs.

The interactive dashboard below can be used to explore the inequalities and differences across the district. Click on the buttons at the bottom to navigate between the different pages and the buttons on the left of each page to explore the different measures.

Wakefield Healthy Housing Pathway

The Wakefield Healthy Housing Pathway is a scheme that provides support for individuals or families who are experiencing housing issues, including fuel poverty, high energy bills, broken heating or hot water systems, poor or hazardous housing conditions, problems with privately rented property, and cold, damp or draughty housing.

The service is intended to be a single point of contact for those with housing condition related issues, enabling swift access to support and improving conditions. It is targetted at those who may be at most risk, such as older people, people with children, people with respiratory illnesses and those in low income households. So far:

Over a thousand referrals have been generated since the launch of the scheme in 2022, the majority of which were self referrals from household residents.
Around 90% of referrals were from households that were occupier owned (60%) and privately rented (30%) and, of those, around eight in ten were triaged to relevant teams for help with damp and mould, insulation measures, broken boilers, draughts around doors and windows, and interest free loans for repairs. Others were triaged to the Money Smart Team to help with energy costs, debt consolidation, and mortgage matters.

Further information and support is available at: Wakefield Healthy Housing Pathway – Wakefield Council

Further information

What support is available?