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Central Bedfordshire

Interactive map displaying Central Bedfordshire

Crime
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About

Central Bedfordshire is a unitary authority in the East of England that covers a mix of small towns, villages and countryside. The district includes Dunstable Downs, part of the Chiltern escarpment and the county’s highest point at about 243 metres, and stretches across the Greensand Ridge and the valley of the River Great Ouse. Towns within the district include Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade, Sandy, Ampthill and Houghton Regis, and the council’s offices are based at Chicksands. The area has a long history of agriculture and quarrying, with field patterns, heath and chalk downland shaping local settlement and routes.

Local features include ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on the Downs and the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway, a narrow-gauge line originally built to serve sand workings that now runs as a heritage attraction. Historic sites include Chicksands Priory and market-place towns such as Ampthill with its parkland. The River Great Ouse and smaller tributaries thread the district, and a network of public footpaths and bridleways links villages, commons and ridge-top viewpoints.

Area overview

On average Central Bedfordshire has low deprivation and very low crime levels, with around 49 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, about 40% below the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. Approximately 12.3% of homes in this area are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. The average income per household in Central Bedfordshire is £66,009 per year. The median sale price in Central Bedfordshire is £363,000 (around £387 per square foot), with typical sale prices between £290,000 and £460,000. There are 111 schools in Central Bedfordshire: 97 primary (5 Outstanding and 73 Good) and 14 secondary (0 Outstanding and 9 Good). Central Bedfordshire is home to around 294,252 people, with a population density of about 411.2 per km².

Crime rate
2/10
Crimes per 1k residents
49
Deprivation level
4/10
Income level
7/10
Social housing
12.3%
Connectivity
N/A

Area Profile

Central Bedfordshire Population
294,252
Population density
411.2 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
22.46(-29%)
Anti-social behaviour
13.06(+13%)
Vehicle crime
5.02(+14%)
Criminal damage and arson
4.82(-24%)
Public order
4.22(-18%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
245,769
83.52%
Other White
15,516
5.27%
Indian
4,684
1.59%
African
3,942
1.34%
Irish
3,527
1.2%
Total population: 294,251

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
78,654
33.22%
Level 3 (A level)
43,107
18.21%
No qualifications
35,598
15.04%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
34,892
14.74%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
24,650
10.41%
Total 16+ residents: 236,759

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns with a mortgage
45,305
37.52%
Owns outright
40,618
33.64%
Private landlord or letting agency
14,329
11.87%
Other social rented
10,457
8.66%
Social rents from council
5,620
4.65%
Total households: 120,754

Property prices in Central Bedfordshire

Median price: £363,000
Price per sq ft: £387
Sales (last 12 months): 3,894
Typical range (middle 50%): £290K – £460K

Based on 3,894 recent sales, the median property price is £363,000 (about £387 per square foot) in Central Bedfordshire area, with individual transactions ranging from £52,000 up to £1,800,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Central Bedfordshire over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached1,060£520,000£397
Semi-Detached1,296£370,000£398
Terraced1,077£310,000£392
Flats461£190,000£322

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Central Bedfordshire

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Central Bedfordshire.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£419,995£175,000£295,000£245,000
2017£440,000£177,000£309,995£255,000
2018£449,995£185,000£318,000£262,000
2019£450,000£185,000£312,000£259,995
2020£450,000£175,000£320,000£260,000
2021£485,000£185,000£339,075£279,000
2022£524,995£196,725£376,995£310,000
2023£525,000£195,000£375,000£300,000
2024£512,750£192,000£365,000£300,000
2025£530,000£195,000£375,000£310,000
2026£500,500£193,500£375,000£312,250
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Central Bedfordshire.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Central Bedfordshire.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£316£279£304£310
2017£325£298£322£318
2018£333£305£328£331
2019£334£296£327£320
2020£342£293£329£319
2021£357£303£350£343
2022£391£322£386£378
2023£402£320£386£379
2024£391£314£381£380
2025£399£320£390£393
2026£393£321£399£392
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Central Bedfordshire.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Central Bedfordshire in the last year.

Council Tax Bands

Annual council tax rates for Central Bedfordshire district.

Band A£1,677
Band B£1,957
Band C£2,237
Band D£2,516
Band E£3,075
Band F£3,634
Band G£4,194
Band H£5,032

Council tax bands are based on the value of your property. Most homes fall into bands A to D.

Local government

Members of Parliament for the constituencies covering Central Bedfordshire.

Member of parliament

Alex Mayer

Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Labour Party

Alistair Strathern

Hitchin - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Labour Party

Rachel Hopkins

Luton South and South Bedfordshire - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Labour Party

Blake Stephenson

Mid Bedfordshire - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Conservative

Richard Fuller

North Bedfordshire - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Conservative

Frequently asked questions about Central Bedfordshire

Is Central Bedfordshire safe?

Central Bedfordshire records about 49 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a very low crime rate for England: it scores 2 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level.

What is the average house price in Central Bedfordshire?

The median sale price in Central Bedfordshire is £363,000 (about £387 per square foot) based on 3,894 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

Are there good schools in Central Bedfordshire?

Central Bedfordshire has 97 primary schools (5 rated Outstanding, 73 Good) and 14 secondary schools (9 Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is Central Bedfordshire?

Central Bedfordshire scores 4 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. The typical neighbourhood in Central Bedfordshire sits around rank 22,219 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

What is the average household income in Central Bedfordshire?

The average household income in Central Bedfordshire is around £66,009 per year, and 12% of homes are social housing (ONS data).

Who are the MPs for Central Bedfordshire?

Central Bedfordshire spans 5 parliamentary constituencies, represented by Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard: Alex Mayer (Labour Party), Hitchin: Alistair Strathern (Labour Party), Luton South and South Bedfordshire: Rachel Hopkins (Labour Party), Mid Bedfordshire: Blake Stephenson (Conservative and Unionist Party) and North Bedfordshire: Richard Fuller (Conservative and Unionist Party).

LU5 4FA

Boscombe Road

MK17 8BS

Salford Road

MK43 0RB

Woburn Road

MK43 0AL

Central Avenue

SG18 8DG

Saxon Drive

LU5 4TP

Humphrys Road

SG17 5PH

Ampthill Road

LU7 1AE

Church Square

LU7 1BE

Doggett Street

LU7 4EB

Harmony Row

LU7 4DD

Grovebury Road

SG19 1BB

Stonecroft

LU5 4FD

Kiln Way

LU5 5WU

High Street North

LU5 4DW

Queensway

LU5 4GA

Boscombe Road

LU5 6AS

Leighton Road

SG18 0JE

High Street

MK45 1HL

Hinksley Road

MK45 2FG

Paddocks Close

LU7 1BA

Mill Road

LU7 4EG

Grovebury Road

SG19 2AJ

Tempsford Road

LU7 2ZS

Firbank Way