Population of Wakefield district set to pass 350,000 mark

It follows the biggest annual rise in the number of people living in the area for 25 years - the second successive year such an increase has been recorded.

Housebuilding is among the factors thought to be associated with the increase, with people migrating from elsewhere in the UK to Wakefield, according to the council's annual budget report.

The official population currently stands at 348,300 people - a rise of more than 4,000 from last year.

The report says that the overall figure is likely to pass 358,000 by 2023.

The increase has brought in extra council tax receipts to be invested public services, although objectors to new housing developments frequently suggest existing infrastructure may struggle to cope.

Speaking about the rise last week, Wakefield Council's chief executive Andrew Balchin said that "long-term planning" went into preparing for new influxes of people.

He said: "When we're looking at housing growth in the district, it doesn't happen overnight. We do try to forecast what we might need in terms of additional services.

"We look closely at educational needs and school places in particular.

"We look very carefully at extra costs that might be associated with bin rounds, because we can't continue to expand our waste collections services every year without extra people or extra equipment.

"We try to forecast it all well in advance so it doesn't just land on the taxpayer in one go. We try to spread it out over a number of years."

The report says that both the working age and elderly populations are likely to see steep rises.

Over 65s currently make up close to a fifth of the overall population as it stands.

Meanwhile, the NHS and private health companies remain the biggest local employer, with 14,000 people plying their trade in the sector.

Local Democracy Reporting Service