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What matters

What matters in Portsmouth

11 issues, each with its official figure, its trend and what is being done. The featured issue comes first; the rest follow the order residents gave in the council’s budget consultation. Residents’ own answers are in the next tab.

11 issues
How we judge change, and why there is no rank

Each issue has one published rule: the latest figure is compared with the same period a set number of years earlier, and a change smaller than that measure’s normal year-to-year variation is shown as “No clear change”. Where too few years are published, the label says so. The rule is stated on each issue page.

Cost of living is featured by editorial choice. Other issues follow the order respondents gave the council in its 2025 budget consultation, a survey people chose to take part in; it describes respondents, not all residents.

Cost of living

Residents’ priority 35% of consultation respondents put “working to support individuals and families struggling to make ends meet” in their top five

The cost of living

Energy, rent and food costs take a large share of low incomes, leaving some households unable to heat their homes or buy food without help.

10.9% Households in fuel poverty City 2024 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ↗

Fuel poverty: No clear change · 2021 to 20241 percentage point higher than England (9.9%)

The issue in five minutes →Portsmouth data →UK Facts · Deep dive: Cost of living across the UK

Solid: Portsmouth. Dashed: England.

Same period (2024):

  • Portsmouth10.9%
  • Southampton9.8%
  • Chichester9.5%
  • Winchester8.2%
  • South East8.2%
  • England9.9%

10 official commitments, 9 with dated evidence

Crime and ASB

Residents’ priority 66% of consultation respondents put “making sure people feel safe and supported in their homes and communities” in their top five

Crime and anti-social behaviour

Crime, violence and anti-social behaviour affect how safe people feel, and they are concentrated in some neighbourhoods.

114 per 1,000 residents Crimes recorded by the police per 1,000 residents City 2025/26 Home Office ↗

No clear change · 2020/21 to 2025/2631 per 1,000 residents higher than England (83.1), calculated from unrounded figures

The issue in five minutes →Portsmouth data →UK Facts · Deep dive: Crime across the UK

Solid: Portsmouth. Dashed: England.

Same period (2025/26):

  • Portsmouth114
  • Southampton120
  • Chichester59.8
  • Winchester55.3
  • South East70.1
  • England83.1

8 official commitments, 5 with dated evidence

Housing

Related priority 45% of consultation respondents put “regenerating major sites to create homes, jobs and economic opportunities in the city” in their top five

Homes and homelessness

Too few new homes are being finished, and more households, many with children, are living in temporary accommodation.

6.9 per 1,000 households Households in temporary accommodation, per 1,000 households City 31 March 2026 Ministry of Housing ↗

Getting worse · 31 March 2023 to 31 March 20261.3 per 1,000 households higher than England (5.5), calculated from unrounded figures

The issue in five minutes →Portsmouth data →UK Facts · Deep dive: Housing across the UK

Solid: Portsmouth. Dashed: England.

Same period (31 March 2026):

  • Portsmouth6.9
  • Southampton3.8
  • Chichester2.8
  • Winchester1.8
  • South East4.2
  • England5.5

18 official commitments, 14 with dated evidence

Poverty and work

Related priority 45% of consultation respondents put “regenerating major sites to create homes, jobs and economic opportunities in the city” in their top five

Poverty, jobs and pay

Many neighbourhoods are among the most deprived in England, and more residents are out of work or on low pay than in the wider region.

4.5% People claiming unemployment-related benefits City September 2026 Office for National Statistics (via Nomis) ↗

No clear change · 2023-09 to 2026-090.4 percentage points higher than England (4.1%)

The issue in five minutes →Portsmouth data →UK Facts · Deep dive: Jobs and pay across the UK

Solid: Portsmouth. Dashed: England.

Same period (2026-09):

  • Portsmouth4.5%
  • Southampton4.2%
  • Chichester3.2%
  • Winchester2%
  • South East3.1%
  • England4.1%

9 official commitments, 9 with dated evidence

Environment

Related priority 35% of consultation respondents put “improving transport systems and journey times in the city and prioritising sustainable travel” in their top five

Air pollution and traffic

Traffic and shipping pollute the air on busy roads, which harms health, especially for children and older people.

4.9% Share of adult deaths linked to fine particle air pollution City 2024 Office for Health Improvement and… ↗

Improving · 2021 to 20240.35 percentage points lower than England (5.3%), calculated from unrounded figures

The issue in five minutes →Portsmouth data →

Solid: Portsmouth. Dashed: England.

Same period (2024):

  • Portsmouth4.9%
  • Southampton4.9%
  • Chichester4.5%
  • Winchester4.6%
  • South East5.1%
  • England5.3%

9 official commitments, 8 with dated evidence

Shared housing

Shared housing (HMOs)

Many homes are shared by unrelated people, and residents want to know whether these homes are safe, well managed and fairly spread across neighbourhoods.

3,125 records Records on the combined shared-housing register City council combined HMO register, September 2026 data.portsmouth.gov.uk ↗

Not enough data

The issue in five minutes →Portsmouth data →UK Facts · Deep dive: Houses in multiple occupation across the UK

3 official commitments, 3 with dated evidence

Health

Health and access to care

Getting a GP or NHS dentist appointment is hard for many residents, and healthy life expectancy differs widely between neighbourhoods.

31.4% Adults seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 24 months City June 2026 NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) ↗

No clear change · 2023-06 to 2026-068.8 percentage points lower than England (40.2%)

The issue in five minutes →Portsmouth data →UK Facts · Deep dive: Health across the UK

Solid: Portsmouth. Dashed: England.

Same period (2026-06):

  • Portsmouth31.4%
  • Southampton36.3%
  • Chichester26%
  • Winchester37.4%
  • England40.2%

11 official commitments, 9 with dated evidence

Environment

Fly-tipping and street cleanliness

Dumped rubbish and litter spoil streets, and repeat hotspots return after clearance.

4.4 per 1,000 residents Fly-tipping incidents recorded per 1,000 people City 2024/25 Department for Environment ↗

Getting worse · 2021/22 to 2024/2517 per 1,000 residents lower than England (21.5), calculated from unrounded figures

The issue in five minutes →Portsmouth data →

Solid: Portsmouth. Dashed: England.

Same period (2024/25):

  • Portsmouth4.4
  • Southampton47.1
  • Chichester6.3
  • Winchester5.4
  • South East11.3
  • England21.5

3 official commitments, 3 with dated evidence

Environment

Sewage spills and flood defences

Sewage overflows affect harbour and beach water, and thousands of homes on the low-lying island depend on sea defences.

329 counted spills Sewer storm overflow spills at or near Portsmouth Wider area 2025 Environment Agency ↗

No clear change · 2022 to 2025

The issue in five minutes →Portsmouth data →

Solid: Portsmouth. Dashed: England.

Same period (2025):

  • Overflows at or near Portsmouth329
  • Southern Water (all overflows)15,554
  • England (all companies)292,119

12 official commitments, 4 with dated evidence