Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays Neighbourhood Characteristics and Perceptions Profile 2022
4 1. Introduction
Map 1: Bingham, Magdalene, the Christians and the Hays
This report profiles the basic characteristics of Bingham Magdalene and the Hays. It then draws out key points from interviews with residents about their perceptions of their local neighbourhoods.
2. Neighbourhood profile of Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays Population characteristics
Bingham and Magdalene are suburbs of Edinburgh, lying approximately 3 miles southeast of the city centre. The Bingham and Magdalene neighbourhood emerged in the postwar period when, in 1948, The City of Edinburgh Council built a housing scheme in the area known as Bingham. This continued eastwards, across the now Duddingston Park South Road, into another housing scheme called the Magdalene Scheme. At the very east of the neighbourhood lies the A1. The neighbourhood also includes The Christians and parts of the Hays (in Niddrie), as shown in Map 1.
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4 The population of the combined Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays neighbourhood is 4,751 residents according to the latest 2019 mid-year population estimates. A distinctive feature of the population is its relatively high proportions who are both young and old. Eighteen per cent of residents are aged 65 years and over, while 20 per cent under 16 years of age. This compares to the City of Edinburgh, where just 15 per cent fall into each age bracket. At the time of the 2011 Census, the neighbourhood had a notably higher White British and Irish population (88 per cent) compared to the City of Edinburgh as a whole (84 per cent). However, resident interviews suggest the population has experienced a high turnover over recent years, with a growing non-White, British population. Given its history as a series of postwar housing schemes, it is unsurprising to see a high level of social renting in the area. Fully 52 per cent of households are in social renting compared to just 17 per cent in Edinburgh, and 24 per cent in Scotland. Conversely, levels of owner occupation are lower, with 38 per cent in this tenure compared to three fifths in both the Local Authority and Scotland as a whole. The 2011 Census contains the most reliable data available on household types in the neighbourhood. This data shows the neighbourhood has relatively high levels of lone parent families with dependent children (14 per cent) and older aged single person (16 per cent) households. By way of comparison, in Edinburgh, nine per cent of households are lone parent with dependent children and 12 per cent comprise older age single-person households.
Bingham and Magdalene: Population Profile A brief look at the deprivation in the Bingham and Magdalene area, compared with Edinburgh. Bingham and Magdalene has a population of 4,754. Broad age groups Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
Edinburgh
70%
62% 20% Under 16
Working age (16-64)
18%
15%
65 and over
Under 16
15% Working age (16-64)
65 and over
Non White British/Irish population
Lone parent households with dependent children
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
Edinburgh
13% 16%
Edinburgh
14%
6%
Social rented households Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays Edinburgh
52%
17%
Sources: Population and broad age groups; Scottish Population Estimates (2019) / / Non-white British/Irish population, Social rented households, lone parent households, Census (2011)
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Data shows that the current (April 2021) working age claimant unemployment rate in Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays (12 per cent) is double that for Edinburgh (five per cent) and Scotland (six per cent). The rate in Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays has increased significantly since the onset of the pandemic. For example, in April 2019 the working age claimant unemployment rate was less than half the current level: 5 per cent. This mirrors the pattern seen more widely. According to the latest SIMD data, 28 per cent of households in Bingham and Magdalene (approximately 1,330 households) were classified as being Income-deprived. This is the percentage in receipt of Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Job Seekers Allowance, Guaranteed Pension Credits, and Child and Working Tax Credits. This level would place the neighbourhood in the most deprived 10 per cent of Data Zones in Scotland and the 5 per cent most deprived in Edinburgh. In Edinburgh, only eight per cent are classified as income deprived. An alternative way to assess income deprivation amongst families with children is the percentage claiming Free School Meals (FSM)1. Levels claiming free school meals in Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays are significantly higher than the national and Local Authority benchmarks; with 35 per cent of pupils registered for FSM, compared to 14 per cent in Edinburgh and 21 per cent in Scotland as a whole.
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays: Deprivation Profile A brief look at the deprivation in the Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays area, compared with Edinburgh. Income Deprived
28%
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
9%
Edinburgh
Claimants of Universal Credit who are required to seek work and be available for work as well as all JSA claimants 12% Working age population (%)
Employment and income
10%
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
8% 6% 4%
Edinburgh
2% 0% Apr ‘16
Oct ‘16
Apr ‘17
Oct ‘17
Apr ‘18
People aged 16-19 participating in education, employment or training
8% Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
Oct ‘18
Apr ‘19
Oct ‘19
Apr ‘20
Apr ‘21
No qualifications
33% 11%
4% Edinburgh
Oct 20
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
Edinburgh
Sources: Income deprivation, People aged 16-19 not participating in education, employment or training, Scottish Indices of Multiple Deprivation (2020) // Claimant Count, NOMIS (2016-2021) // No qualifications, Census (2011)
1 Though it is acknowledged that not all eligible children will take up FSM.
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4 Education
Education attainment and participation in Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays are significantly lower than in other parts of Edinburgh, and for Scotland as a whole: • According to the 2011 Census, 33 per cent of the working age population in Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays have no qualifications. This is significantly higher than for the City of Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole: 11 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. • SIMD data show levels of 16-19 year olds who are classified as being NEET (Not participating in Education, Employment or Training) are double Local Authority and National levels. Eight per cent of 16-19 year olds in Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays (approximately 240,16-19 year olds) are NEET compared to four per cent in Edinburgh and four per cent in Scotland. • Just four per cent of 17-21 year olds in Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays enrol into higher education. Crime
SIMD data reveal the combined Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays neighbourhood has a higher rate of overall crime compared to Edinburgh as a whole: 486 crimes per 10,000 population compared to 346 crimes per 10,000 population. The computed rate for Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays would place it in the second most deprived decile of Data Zones in Scotland. Based on resident interviews, it is likely that specific types of crime and antisocial behaviour are relatively higher than in other areas of the city. However, this information is not publicly available at a Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays neighbourhood level.
Another important aspect to consider is the visibility of different types of crime and anti-social behaviour which in turn is likely to have a greater, negative effect on residents.
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays: Deprivation Profile Crime rate per 10,000 people
486.2
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
346.0
Edinburgh
Hospital stays for alcohol related harm
287.4
133.44
85.4
84.14
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
Edinburgh
People being prescribed drugs for anxiety, depression or psychosis Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays Edinburgh
Drug related hospital admissions
Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
Comparative Illness Factor
192.5 79.4
24% Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays
15%
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Mean House Price Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays Edinburgh
£161,782 £314,042
Sources: Crime rate, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (2020) // Hospital stays for alcohol-related harm (Broad definition), standardised admission ratio; Hospital stays related to drug use: standardised ratio; Proportion of population being prescribed drugs for anxiety, depression or psychosis; Comparative Illness Factor: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (2020) // Mean House Price: Land Registry (2021)
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4 Health
Housing
Analysis of data which make up the SIMD health domain reveal many Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays residents are in poor physical and mental health and/or take part in unhealthy behaviours. In particular:
Publicly available, neighbourhood-level data on housing is limited. What is available is also likely to underplay the key issues identified through the qualitative work presented later in this chapter. This includes the poor condition of the housing stock, level of homelessness and people in temporary accommodation, as well as high level of population turnover. These housing related factors will affect wider outcomes such as cohesion, health, employment and education levels in the neighbourhood.
• The computed Comparative Illness Factor for Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays is fully 93 per cent higher than the expected level for the Scotland average for a population with the same age and sex profile. This is the expected level of general health and long-term limiting illness in the area. • The computed standardised rate of drug related hospital admissions (287) is almost three times the expected level for a Scottish population with the same age and sex profile. • 24 per cent of the neighbourhood’s population are being prescribed drugs for anxiety, depression or psychosis. This compares to 15 per cent in Edinburgh and 20 per cent in Scotland as a whole. • Alcohol-related hospital admissions from Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays residents are 33 per cent higher than the expected level for the Scotland average for a population with the same age and sex profile.
SIMD 2019 data reveals Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays has very highdensity housing. The average number of properties per hectare is over double the average for the Local Authority. In Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays there are 29 properties per hectare compared to 10 properties per hectare across the City of Edinburgh. Despite this high-density housing, levels of overcrowding are similar to those for the Local Authority: both at 13 per cent of households. Analysis of average house prices in August 2021 from Scottish Government Statistics show levels in Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays (£161,782) are significantly below the Local Authority average (£314,042). The average for Scotland is £180,832.
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4 3. Resident perceptions in Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays It is worth prefacing this section by noting that residents viewed Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays as very different communities. Relationships and feeling of community spirit lay within, but not between, the two neighbourhoods. Many of those interviewed commonly referred to competition and rivalry existing between the Bingham and Magdalene neighbourhoods. Feelings of community and pride in the individual neighbourhoods of Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays emerged as the most positive aspect reported by residents. Most recently this had emerged during Covid-19 lockdowns, with people coming together to help with meals, shopping for those shielding and fundraising activities. FareShare parcels have also been distributed by the community centre with the support of volunteers. However, this momentum and coming together has not lasted, and community spirit appears to be fading away again.
When Covid started, the community centre people rallied and they have been brilliant. We had a Covid response group as well, which was Bingham and Magdalene.
Neighbours were important to those we spoke to, particularly when they had no family or family living close by. Neighbours were seen as a source of support and in turn offering reciprocal arrangements. One interesting aspect is the very small areas that residents referred to when considering their neighbours. There often were situated at the housing block or ‘stair’ level.
I like the fact that I know my neighbours and we’ve got good neighbours and we look out for each other.
Supporting this sense of community and pride, respondents referenced the importance of community facilities and infrastructure. These included: allotments (Magdalene Growers allotments and Bingham Growers), the community centres, The Bingham Blether and Facebook page as well as local shops and cafes. Community Renewal Trust has also had a local base and supported the Bingham community for an extended period of time.
There is definitely a sense of community because people will get together. Shops and the cafe are nice places to be. Everybody knows each other.
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I feel like I belong to the area, and especially when the community gardens’ on. I’ve got my own plot… You can go out to the allotment, you can talk to someone, ok its two metres, you’re still having that connection with someone.
However, some respondents cited very difficult and challenging relationships with their neighbours. Housing allocations were stated as a reason for this. Several residents cited a high turnover and new populations moving into the area over the last few years. Far more negative views emerged when residents considered their housing and satisfaction with the area. This includes the local environment, crime and antisocial behaviour. Specifically, interviewees identified: • The housing stock was rated as being very poor, especially amongst Magdalene residents, with structural and physical improvements needed. The quality of the properties was seen to affect various aspects of residents’ lives, including their comfort, mental and physical health and feelings of safety. • Local parks and green areas were seen to be poorly maintained and overgrown. As a consequence, they are underused by residents, such as parents and children.
• Street lighting was reported to be poor in and around the neighbourhoods, which affected feelings of safety after dark. • Drug dealing was identified as a significant issue by residents, with its visibility on the streets a serious concern:
They don’t even take it in the house, they do it on the street.
• One resident also noted the involvement of local children and young people from the neighbourhood as a particular concern. • Fly-tipping had reportedly increased in the neighbourhoods, particularly around the back of the houses. There were concerns from residents that this had not been addressed by the council, despite repeated calls. • Finally, many references were made to other Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) issues such as the use, and speed, of monkey bikes. • ASB in the area had also led to a key bus service being removed from their neighbourhood, which meant access to other parts of the city and the services they offer were more difficult. • Use of, and satisfaction with, local services was limited amongst those interviewed. Most commented that they felt the area had been forgotten about by the council, and other key services. Similarly, they suggested that there was no local voice in the area to call for, or make a difference in the area. Drawing out key examples.
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4 • Despite the issues raised above, residents saw very little police or community policing presence in the neighbourhood. As a result, faith in the police is extremely low. Most of those who we spoke to, request more community policing in the area to deter crime and ASB, as well as to improve feeling of safety. • Most felt they had poor access to support for skills, employment, and benefits. For example, the ‘local’ Jobcentre Plus (JCP) offices were in Leith which is approximately 40 minutes away by bus. Some respondents also reported difficult relationships with staff at JCP. • Many felt communications between the council and the community were poor. • The local Asda was used, but there are issues accessing it, particularly if walking across the ‘Glen’.
The Glen is shocking because you’ve got to go down the steps which is a big hill and then you’ve got to go up the steps to go up to the road.
The access route was not well kept and hard to manage with a buggy or for those with walking difficulties. As a consequence, many of those we spoke to used local shops for everyday supplies.
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This report was written by the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), at Sheffield Hallam University and Sonnet Advisory and Impact