Issues and SWOT

strength

Town-centre improvements have a completion record

Maghera’s first public-space stage was officially launched in October 2025.

Proposed response: Keep the new routes accessible and well maintained.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

The average home price is £195,000 (July 2026) in Mid Ulster council area. This is about £7,000 lower than the Northern Ireland average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.3% in Lower Glenshane to 32.1% in Cookstown East — a gap of 24.8 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in Mid Ulster council area (21 March 2021). Across Northern Ireland, the figure was 7.7%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.9% in Caledon to 9.5% in Cookstown West — a gap of 5.6 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

weakness

A scheduled reopening still needs confirmation

The Cookstown release gives a refurbishment timetable, not a completion statement.

Proposed response: Keep users informed about actual available facilities.

Evidence

opportunity

Use the canal route for everyday activity

Coalisland has delivered walkway and cycle-facility improvements.

Proposed response: Connect the route to practical local journeys.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

15% of people in Mid Ulster council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 11.5% in Coalisland South to 18.9% in Fivemiletown — a gap of 7.4 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

29.3% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Mid Ulster council area. Across Northern Ireland, the figure was 32.1%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 20.4% in Coolshinny to 46% in Ballysaggart — a gap of 25.6 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Mid Ulster council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

threat

One finished stage is not the whole programme

Maghera’s business and wetland parks are distinct from the completed town-centre works.

Proposed response: Publish the remaining scope and funding milestones.

Evidence