Groundsense

Central Bedfordshire

Central Bedfordshire is a unitary council in the East of England. All 24 figures Groundsense publishes are available here. Figures fetched 3 October 2026.

Furthest from the middle

Open Central Bedfordshire on the map

Each line runs from the council with the lowest figure to the one with the highest. The dot is Central Bedfordshire and the tick is the council in the middle.

Cost of living

Council tax, band D£2,516

Higher than 72% of the 296 councils in England it is published for.

4th highest of the 45 councils in the East of England.

MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026-27, Table 9 · 2026-27 · How this is measured

Housing

Average house price, all homes£356k

Higher than 73% of the 360 councils in the UK it is published for.

Up 2.9% since June 2025

UK House Price Index · June 2026 · How this is measured

Average monthly rent, two bedrooms£1,097

Higher than 62% of the 316 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

Up 3.9% since August 2025

ONS Price Index of Private Rents · August 2026 · How this is measured

Price to local earnings8.2

Higher than 63% of the 348 councils in England, Scotland and Wales it is published for.

UK House Price Index average price (June 2026) over ASHE median gross annual pay, full time workers (2025) · June 2026 prices, 2025 pay · How this is measured

Energy efficiency score of the typical home71

Higher than 82% of the 318 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

Joint 4th highest of the 45 councils in the East of England.

ONS, Energy efficiency of housing, median score by local authority, from MHCLG certificates · to March 2025 · How this is measured

Transport

Households with no car or van11.3%

Lower than 93% of the 329 councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is published for.

Joint 6th lowest of the 45 councils in the East of England.

Census 2021: ONS TS045 for England and Wales, NISRA for Northern Ireland · 2021 · How this is measured

Residents within 1km of a train, Underground or tram station16.6%

Lower than 72% of the 350 councils in England, Scotland and Wales it is published for.

DfT NaPTAN active stations, read at every census area · October 2026 · How this is measured

Amenities

Residents within 1km of a supermarket74.1%

Higher than 53% of the 358 councils in the UK it is published for.

Food Standards Agency register of food businesses, read at every census area · October 2026 · How this is measured

Residents within 1km of a pharmacy62.7%

Lower than 75% of the 318 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

NHS organisation register, dispensing contractors, read at every census area · October 2026 · How this is measured

Premises with full fibre available68.3%

Lower than 74% of the 359 councils in the UK it is published for.

Ofcom Connected Nations 2025, fixed broadband residential coverage by local authority · July 2025 · How this is measured

Education

Eleven year olds at the expected standard in reading, writing and maths56%

Lower than 91% of the 296 councils in England it is published for.

7th lowest of the 45 councils in the East of England.

Down 5 points since 2018/19

DfE, Key stage 2 attainment by pupil residency · 2025/26 · How this is measured

Attainment 8 at sixteen, average score44.2

Lower than 67% of the 296 councils in England it is published for.

DfE, Key stage 4 performance, local authority district data by pupil residency · 2024/25 · How this is measured

Health

Patients per fully qualified GP2,504

Higher than 80% of the 296 councils in England it is published for.

NHS England, General Practice Workforce, practice level, August 2026 · August 2026 · How this is measured

GP practices rated Good or Outstanding100%

Joint highest of the 293 councils in England it is published for.

Joint highest of the 45 councils in the East of England.

CQC Syndication API, GP practices (inspection category P2) · October 2026 · How this is measured

Safety

Recorded crime per 1,000 residents46.5

Lower than 89% of the 305 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

11th lowest of the 45 councils in the East of England.

Down 6.2% since 2022-23

Home Office recorded crime by community safety partnership, over ONS population estimates for June 2025 · 2025-26 · How this is measured

Residential burglary per 1,000 households3.2

Lower than 84% of the 305 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

Joint 7th lowest of the 45 councils in the East of England.

Home Office recorded crime by community safety partnership, over Census 2021 household counts · 2025-26 · How this is measured

Killed or seriously injured on the roads, per 100,000 residents a year44.2

Higher than 54% of the 350 councils in England, Scotland and Wales it is published for.

DfT RAS0403, adjusted casualties by highway authority, 2023 to 2025, over ONS population estimates for June 2025 · 2023 to 2025 · How this is measured

Community

Residents at the same address a year earlier90.2%

Lower than 51% of the 318 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

ONS Census 2021, TS019 Migrant indicator · 2021 · How this is measured

Pubs, bars and licensed clubs per 10,000 residents5.3

Lower than 68% of the 361 councils in the UK it is published for.

Up 3% since 2021

ONS UK Business Counts, SIC 56301 and 56302, over ONS population estimates for June 2025 · 2026 · How this is measured

Wellbeing

Life satisfaction, mean out of 107.3

Lower than 76% of the 347 councils in the UK it is published for.

9th lowest of the 43 councils in the East of England.

ONS, personal wellbeing estimates by local authority · 2022-23 · How this is measured

Anxiety, mean out of 103.2

Lower than 55% of the 347 councils in the UK it is published for.

ONS, personal wellbeing estimates by local authority · 2022-23 · How this is measured

Healthy life expectancy at birth, women60.9 yrs

Lower than 57% of the 359 councils in the UK it is published for.

4th lowest of the 45 councils in the East of England.

Down 5.1 years since 2011 to 2013

ONS, Healthy life expectancy, UK · 2022 to 2024 · How this is measured

Environment

Park and public garden space within 1km of the average home28.5 ha

Higher than 55% of the 343 councils in England, Scotland and Wales it is published for.

ONS, Access to public parks and playing fields, from OS Open Greenspace · April 2020 · How this is measured

Nitrogen dioxide where people live, annual mean7.8 µg/m³

Lower than 51% of the 361 councils in the UK it is published for.

Down 36.1% since 2019

Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, background NO2 on the 1km grid, read at every census area · 2024 · How this is measured

Next door, side by side

Central Bedfordshire shares a boundary with Bedford, Buckinghamshire, Dacorum, Huntingdonshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, North Hertfordshire, South Cambridgeshire and St Albans. Lowest first.

Average monthly rent, two bedrooms
  1. Huntingdonshire£967
  2. Bedford£1,029
  3. Central Bedfordshire£1,097
  4. Luton£1,114
  5. Milton Keynes£1,217
  6. South Cambridgeshire£1,281
  7. North Hertfordshire£1,284
  8. Buckinghamshire£1,310
  9. Dacorum£1,378
  10. St Albans£1,633
Average house price, all homes
  1. Luton£290k
  2. Huntingdonshire£306k
  3. Milton Keynes£325k
  4. Bedford£330k
  5. Central Bedfordshire£356k
  6. North Hertfordshire£423k
  7. South Cambridgeshire£436k
  8. Dacorum£459k
  9. Buckinghamshire£491k
  10. St Albans£651k
Council tax, band D
  1. Milton Keynes£2,372
  2. Dacorum£2,409
  3. St Albans£2,419
  4. Luton£2,440
  5. North Hertfordshire£2,449
  6. Bedford£2,472
  7. Central Bedfordshire£2,516
  8. Buckinghamshire£2,527
  9. South Cambridgeshire£2,536
  10. Huntingdonshire£2,556
Recorded crime per 1,000 residents
  1. South Cambridgeshire46.3
  2. Central Bedfordshire46.5
  3. North Hertfordshire49.5
  4. Buckinghamshire53.1
  5. Huntingdonshire55.5
  6. St Albans64.3
  7. Dacorum65.6
  8. Bedford76.1
  9. Luton83.1
  10. Milton Keynes86.9
Patients per fully qualified GP
  1. South Cambridgeshire1,808
  2. Buckinghamshire2,066
  3. Huntingdonshire2,069
  4. St Albans2,076
  5. North Hertfordshire2,110
  6. Bedford2,471
  7. Central Bedfordshire2,504
  8. Milton Keynes2,545
  9. Dacorum2,572
  10. Luton2,749
Eleven year olds at the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
  1. Central Bedfordshire56%
  2. Bedford58%
  3. Dacorum59%
  4. Huntingdonshire59%
  5. South Cambridgeshire62%
  6. Luton63%
  7. North Hertfordshire63%
  8. Buckinghamshire66%
  9. Milton Keynes67%
  10. St Albans74%
Nitrogen dioxide where people live, annual mean
  1. South Cambridgeshire5.9 µg/m³
  2. Huntingdonshire6.8 µg/m³
  3. Central Bedfordshire7.8 µg/m³
  4. North Hertfordshire8 µg/m³
  5. Buckinghamshire8.2 µg/m³
  6. Bedford8.4 µg/m³
  7. Milton Keynes8.9 µg/m³
  8. Dacorum9.1 µg/m³
  9. St Albans10.3 µg/m³
  10. Luton11.8 µg/m³
Residents within 1km of a train, Underground or tram station
  1. Huntingdonshire7.1%
  2. South Cambridgeshire8.1%
  3. Milton Keynes10.1%
  4. Central Bedfordshire16.6%
  5. Bedford18.8%
  6. Dacorum19.3%
  7. Buckinghamshire20.3%
  8. Luton24%
  9. St Albans29.7%
  10. North Hertfordshire34.8%

What changed

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