Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex District covers approximately 128 square miles. 127,378 people were resident in the area at the last Census. The age profile of the District does not vary substantially from the national average - the Census for 2001 showed 21,156 people over the age of 65 living in Mid Sussex. Later figures produced in 2006 showed there to be 26,600 people of pensionable age in our area.
Mid Sussex is a predominantly rural district, and 87.1% is classified as green space, the population is divided between three towns and several smaller rural settlements. Approximately 60% of the population live in the three main towns - Burgess Hill: 28,803 people; Haywards Heath: 22,800; East Grinstead: 23,942. (Census 2001).
The total population of Mid Sussex is projected to grow by nearly 5.4% from 2006-2016, but this is expected to be as high as 29% in the 65 and over age group (WSCC).
Deprivation is very low overall, and the District scores in the top ten least deprived Local Authority areas in the Country. Some geographic and thematic areas do standout however, and the three most deprived areas are; the wards of Haywards Heath Bentswood; Burgess Hill Victoria, and Hurstpierpoint and Downs.
There are around 32 towns and villages in the area . In 2001 there were 51,969 households in Mid Sussex and 7,351 of these show as single pensioner households. The village of Hassocks shows that 22% of the households single pensioner households.
2,380 people over the age of 65 in the area report that they are carers, with 614 of these reporting that they provide 50plus hours of care per week.
To know more about Mid Sussex you can go to Sussex Life - Your county magazine.