Library@ Life Centre
Community Profile
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Situated in the north of the borough, with a catchment area
covering Stonecot, St Helier and Sutton North Wards
Catchment population of 11,623
67% Multicultural Metropolitans, 77.1% white population,
14.2% Asian/Asian British, 2.9% Hard Pressed Living.
78% owner occupiers and an average 2.4% in receipt of out of
work benefits
The library catchment area includes all Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) where
5% or more of the population borrow from the library. For the Library @ Life Centre,
the catchment area covers 7 of the 121 LSOAs in Sutton as shown in the map
below.
Map 1: Library Catchment Area Map
Population and Households
Table 1: Age Profile (2011 census)
Age Group
% of catchment
area
LB Sutton average
%
0-15 yrs
Library@ Life
Centre catchment
area
2.360
20.3%
20.0%
16-24 yrs
1,355
11.7%
10.3%
25-49 yrs
4,105
35.3%
38.2%
50-64 yrs
2,185
18.8%
17.2%
65+
1,618
13.9%
14.3%
Totals
11,623
In the London Borough of Sutton as a whole, 79% of the population (in the 2011
Census) described their ethnicity as ‘White’. The proportion for the Library @ Life
Centre Catchment Area was slightly lower at 77.1%; the proportion of Asian/Asian
British is 14.2%.
Table 2: Ethnicity Profile (2011 census)
Catchment
residents
White
Mixed/multiple
ethnic groups
Asian/Asian
British
Black/African/Caribbean/Black
British
Other ethnic
group
11,623
8,966
346
1,653
525
133
100.0%
77.1%
3.0%
14.2%
4.5%
1.1%
Within the catchment area, there were 4,320 households identified in the Census
2011 (around 6% of the total of 78,174 in the London Borough of Sutton as a whole)
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78% were owned
9% social rented
11% privately rented
The proportion of home ownership is higher than that for the borough which is 68%.
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22.5% of the households consisted of a single person
25% contained couples (married, civil partnership or cohabiting) with
dependent children
7% were made up of lone parents with dependent children
The averages for the borough were 30%, 22% and 7% respectively.
Indices of Deprivation
The Indices of Deprivation 2010 provides a relative ranking of areas across England
& Wales according to their level of deprivation. It includes the Index of Multiple
Deprivation which brings together 37 different indicators covering specific aspects or
dimensions of deprivation including income, employment, health and disability,
education, skills and training, barriers to housing and services, living environment
and crime. The majority of the data underpinning the IMD 2010 represents 2008
although some data covers a number of years.
The Library@ Life Centre catchment area contains no LSOAs in the 30% most
deprived areas in the country.
Economic Activity
Latest benefit claimant statistics indicate that the number of people claiming out of
work benefits in the area is slightly lower than the borough average.
Table 3: Out of Work Benefit Claimants
Benefit
Employment and Support Allowance
Job Seekers Allowance
Number of
claimants in
Catchment
Area
240
129
% of
population
aged 16-64 in
Catchment
Area
3.1%
1.7%
LB Sutton
Average
3.5%
2.0%
(Data as at February 2014)
Economic Activity and Income
The estimated mean annual household income (as modelled by the GLA) for the
Library @ Life Centre Catchment Area is £38,268 – lower than the average for
LSOAs in LBS as a whole of £43,568. The range for the LSOAs making up the
catchment area is relatively narrow with the lowest figure being £31,815 and the
highest £40,048.
Following the Census 2011, the Office for National Statistics classified each Output
Area into 8 supergroups. 67% of the population of the Library @ Life Centre
Catchment area were in Output Areas classified as ‘multicultural metropolitans’; with
2.9% being in ones classified as ‘Hard Pressed Living’ (compared to 1.4% of the
population of the borough as a whole).
Internet Usage
According to OFCOM, all London Councils have the highest rank of broadband
availability in the UK.
Table 4: London Councils Broadband Availability
Broadband
Availability
London Councils
Average Speed
Superfast availability
20.4 m/bits per second
89.1%
Broadband
Take-up
82.9%
Qualifications
The proportion of population with higher level qualifications in the Library@ Life
Centre catchment is significantly lower than the Sutton average of 30%
From the Census 2011:
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22% of the population of the Library @ Life Centre catchment area aged 16+
had no qualifications – compared to 19% of the borough as a whole
22% had level 4 qualifications and above
Health & Disability
Benefit claimant data shows that in February 2014:
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400 people in the Library @ Life Centre catchment area were claiming
Disability Living Allowance (5.2% of the working age population of the area)
195 people aged 65+ were claiming Attendance Allowance (12.1% of the
population over 65)
The equivalent figures for Sutton as a whole were 5.7% and 13.2% respectively.
The Census 2011 asked people whether their day-to-day activities were limited
because of a long-term disability or illness:
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680 people (5.9%) in the Library @ Life Centre catchment area said that their
activities were limited ‘a lot’
1,000 (8.6%) said that their activities were limited ‘a little’
The equivalent figures for Sutton as a whole were 6.4% and 7.9% respectively.
The table below shows the people from the Census 2011 who said that they were
providing unpaid care for someone because of old age or disability.
Table 5: Provision of unpaid care
1 to 19 hours of unpaid care
20 to 49 hours of unpaid care
50+ hours of unpaid care
Number in
catchment area
758
163
258
% of catchment
area
6.5%
1.4%
2.2%
% for
Borough
6.5%
1.2%
1.9%
Table 6: Library Accessibility
Opening hours per day:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Opening hours per week
Number of floors
How additional floors are
accessed
Adapted toilets
Accessible by public
transport
Parking capacity
Borough Libraries within
a 10 minute drive
Borough libraries within
20 minutes on public
transport
% of adults with access
to a car or van
Open or
closed
Open
Open
Open
Open
Open
Open
Open
Opening time
Closing time
09.30
09:30
09:30
09:30
09:30
09:30
10.00
20.00
20:00
20:00
20:00
20:00
17:00
14.00
unstaffed 19.00-20.00
unstaffed 19.00-20.00
unstaffed 19.00-20.00
unstaffed 19.00-20.00
unstaffed 19.00-20.00
64
Inc. 5 unstaffed
2
Library on ground
floor
Stairs and lift
Yes
Sutton Common Station - approx 6-8 minutes
walk
Buses
Free car park on Alcorn Close with 20
spaces.
2 x disabled car parking bays at front of
centre/library
Sutton Central Library, Cheam Library, Circle
Library, Worcester Park Library. Library@
Westcroft.
Sutton Central Library
81.8%
Buses: 470, 80, S3
Accessibility
81.8% of households in the Library @ Life Centre catchment area had access to one
or more cars or vans in the Census 2011, compared to 76.6% of households in the
borough as a whole.
5 Libraries can be reached within a 10 minute drive from Library@ Life Centre
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Sutton Central Library
Cheam Library
Worcester Park Library
Circle Library
Library@ Westcroft
Map 2: 10 minute drive area from Library@ Life Centre
The area is reasonably served by public transport, but only Sutton Central Library
can be reached in 20 minutes by bus.
Table 7: Library@ Life Centre Statistics
% saying good or very good library (Nov 2009)
93%
Active members (2013/14)
2,830
Active Life Centre Library members using other
libraries
All members
25.24%
Public access internet usage – hours (2013/14)
11,562
Visitor figures (2013/14)
132,812
Change in visitor numbers (06/07- 13/14)
Item issues (2013/14)
7744
+ 150.9% (change from Ridge Road,
and includes Life Centre visitors)
46,052
Cost per issue (2013/14)
£2.49
Cost per visit (2013/14)
£0.86
Physical condition of building
Good
Running costs (2013/14 budget)
£114,790.59
Gross internal area (sq m)
180 m2 (Library)
Net internal area (sq m)
150 m2 (Library)