Over 65,000 in Northumberland have a disability

Figures from the census in March 2021 show 67,190 people in the area said they had an impairment – 19.6% of the population.

The Equality Act defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that has a "substantial and long-term adverse effect" on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

In Northumberland, 38,253 people (11.3%) said their disability stopped them from carrying out regular activities 'a little', while 28,937 (8.3%) said it did so 'a lot'.

The overall proportion of disabled people is slightly down from 2011, when 20% said they had a disability.

There were 41,216 households in the area with at least one disabled person – including 10,723 with two or more.

As of March 2021, 46.8% of Northumberland residents described their health as 'very good' – up from 45.2% in 2011 – and the proportion of people describing their health as 'very bad' fell from 1.3% to 1.2%.

Across England and Wales, the proportion of people with a disability has fallen from 19.5% in 2011 to 17.8% at the last census – despite the number of disabled people increasing from 10 to 10.4 million – because the 2021 census explicitly mentioned mental impairments.

Craig Moss, research manager at disability equality charity Scope, said: “It is high time society was more inclusive of disabled people. They are repeatedly forgotten by Government, business and society, with workplaces, pubs and public transport not accessible.”