One in four rents privately

MORE than one in four Bristol residents lives in a privately-rented home - the highest proportion in the region.

Figures from the 2021 Census show 26.4% of people live in a home they rent privately - almost as many as the 29.7% who have a mortgage, other loan or shared ownership, and more than the 25.2% of residents who own their homes outright.

Another 18.7% rent from a social landlord, such as Bristol City Council or a housing association.

In neighbouring South Gloucestershire, 36.6% of residents own their homes outright, while 36.8% have a mortgage, 10.8% rent socially and 15.8% rent privately

The Office For National Statistics says that across England and Wales, the number of people renting privately has risen by 1.1 million since the previous census in 2011, from 3.9m (16.7%) to 5m (20.3%). The percentage renting socially has fallen from 17.6% to 17.2%.

The percentage of people with a mortgage has fallen from 33.5% to 29.7%, while the percentage who own their homes outright is up from 30.8% to 32.8% of households - overall 62.5% of people are homeowners, down from 64.3% in 2011.

Other facts about Bristol and South Gloucestershire the ONS has revealed include:

• In Bristol more than a quarter of households (26.1%) have no car or van; 45.8% have one, 21.6% have two and 6.4% have three or more. In South Gloucestershire 12.3% of households have no car, while 40.1% have one vehicle, 34.1% have two and 13.4% have three or more.

• The percentage of Bristol residents aged over 16 who were "economically active and in employment", including self-employed, rose from 60.3% in 2011 to 61.2% in 2021.

In South Gloucestershire, 62.2% of over-16s were working, down from 64.4% in 2011.

A total of 3.6% of Bristol residents said they were economically active and unemployed, compared with 2.5% in South Gloucestershire. For more Census information visit www.ons.gov.uk/census. Rent controls: Page 12