Blackburn with Darwen lies on the boundary between the Lancashire countryside and the Greater Manchester conurbation.
The central urban areas of the Borough have many problems more often associated with inner cities – high population density, and many people from disadvantaged or vulnerable groups.
The population of 140,000 is diverse. At the 2001 census 19% of the Borough’s population identified themselves as Muslim; the 3rd highest in England & Wales and the highest outside London.
The age structure of the Borough’s population is younger than the national average, with 31% aged 0-19, the 2nd highest of any local authority in the country, compared to 24% in the country as a whole. Conversely, 13% of the population are aged 65+, compared with 16% nationally.
The people of Blackburn with Darwen face exceptional challenges to their health and wellbeing. These challenges are associated with a number of factors including relatively low educational attainment, low income, high unemployment, and poor and often overcrowded housing.
There are a number of down-loadable and web-based profiles of Blackburn with Darwen available, describing the area, the people, and the economic, social and environmental circumstances in which they live, as well as local outcomes in health and its wider determinants.
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has a particularly informative website – The Changing Face of Blackburn with Darwen which covers the following topics
The people who live in the Borough
The economy
Housing
Health and social well-being in the Borough
Education
Deprivation
Community Safety
Transport
The 'Lancashire Profile' website run by the County Council also has a wealth of information on local areas, including Blackburn with Darwen
The North West Public Health Observatory has an interactive health profiler site that allows you to choose from a wide range of indicators for any local authority.
