Cherwell
Cherwell is a town or village in Oxfordshire, England, with two bus stops and its nearest railway station being Heyford, 4.6 km away. There were around 1 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly Burglary. Covers 56 towns with local open-data for the whole authority.
On deprivation, Cherwell is less deprived than the average in England (IoD2019). It is home to around 161,012 residents at roughly 274 people per km².
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 103rd of 294 English council areas — better than 65% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
17°COvercast
- Today: 24° / 16° · 50% rain
- Tomorrow: 19° / 12° · Sunny
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:36Sunset 19:24
12h 48m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
12US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Oxford St Ebbes, United Kingdom
Crime
Road safety
212 reported road collisions (2024)
58 killed or seriously injured · 276 casualties · 13.2 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
12 food businesses within 2 miles
- 12 rated 4–5 ★ (9 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Heyford (4.6 km)
- 2 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Heyford (4.6 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£353,632 average▲ 3.8% YoY
Across Cherwell · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,294 average monthly rent▲ 1.4% YoY
- 1 bed £967
- 2 bed £1,208
- 3 bed £1,458
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
9.3× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 9.3 times median annual pay (10.0× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 165.9p · Asda (10.7 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 140.8p · AppleGreen (10.5 km)
6 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
10 charging locations within ~8 km
- 4 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 175 kW
- Nearest: Orchard House (3.7 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches1
- Playgrounds1
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- Planning Committee to consider council's proposed response to Site A application· 11 Sept 2026
- A statement from Cherwell District Council's leader on Local Government Reorganisation announcement· 7 Sept 2026
- Residents encouraged to attend flood preparation event· 1 Sept 2026
- Council leader writes to government for action on fridge freezer recycling· 28 Aug 2026
- Leader welcomes completion of Kidlington waste site clearance· 27 Aug 2026
Source: Cherwell Council
Population
161,012 residents in Cherwell · 274/km²
- Under 16: 19%
- 16–64: 64%
- 65+: 17%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Less deprived than the average in England
Ranked 220 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,583 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (27% of 72,260)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
74 schools · 24,283 pupils
53 primary · 9 secondary · 12 other
Ofsted: 20 of 22 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (91%)
67inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Blessed George Napier Catholic School and Sixth FormGood
- Gosford Hill SchoolGood
- The Bicester SchoolGood
- The Warriner SchoolGood
- Whitelands AcademyGood
- Futures Institute Banbury
- North Oxfordshire Academy
- The Cooper School
- Wykham Park
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Cherwell
Care & health services
676 CQC-registered services
- Care homes149
- GP practices110
- Dentists167
- Homecare agencies172
- Hospitals & hospices16
CQC ratings: 92% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 5 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Oxfordshire
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 22 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
234 applications decided
87.2% granted · 204 granted, 30 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Council control
Liberal Democrat / Green / Independent coalition
- Lab 8
- Con 8
- LD 21
- Grn 4
- Ref 6
- Oth 1
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
Local businesses
8,535 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Local economy
£784 median full-time weekly pay
2.3% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£27,182 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
53% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: C · 75,407 certificates
9% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Health
Life expectancy: 85.5 yrs women · 81.5 yrs men
57% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.6
- Feeling worthwhile7.8
- Happiness yesterday7.5
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)2.7
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Banbury:
- Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership790 local signatures · 163,883 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases506 local signatures · 104,741 nationwide
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership371 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office315 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s310 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
Fritwell & Somerton railway station · 0.2 kmFritwell & Somerton railway station was on the Oxford to Banbury line of the Great Western Railway, and was opened four years after the line, in September 1854. It was in the village of Somerton, Oxfordshire.
- Somerton, Oxfordshire · 0.5 km
Somerton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, in the Cherwell valley about 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Bicester. The 2011 census recorded the parish's population as 305.
- North Aston · 2.0 km
North Aston is a village and civil parish about 7+1⁄2 miles (12 km) south of Banbury and 10 miles (16 km) north of Oxford. The 2001 Census recorded its population as 212. The 2011 Census did not publish its population…
Cherwell (district) · 2.2 kmCherwell is a local government district in northern Oxfordshire, England. The district was created in 1974 and takes its name from the River Cherwell, which drains south through the region to flow into the River Thame…
A4260 road · 2.8 kmThe A4260 is a road that leads from the A422 Henneff Way, Banbury, to Frieze Way near Oxford, England.
- Fritwell Manor · 2.8 km
Fritwell Manor is a house in Fritwell, Oxfordshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Towns in Cherwell
- Adderbury and Twyford
- Ambrosden
- Ardley and Fewcott
- Banbury
- Barford St John
- Barford St Michael
- Begbroke
- Bicester
- Blackthorn
- Bladon
- Bletchingdon
- Bloxham
- Bodicote
- Broughton (Cherwell)
- Bucknell (Cherwell)
- Chacombe
- Charlton-on-Otmoor
- Chesterton
- Cropredy
- Deddington
- Duns Tew
- Finmere
- Fringford
- Fritwell
- Great Bourton
- Hook Norton
- Horley (Cherwell)
- Hornton
- Horton-cum-Studley
- Islip (Cherwell)
- Kidlington
- Kirtlington
- Launton
- Lower Heyford
- Milcombe
- Mixbury
- Mollington (Cherwell)
- Newton Purcell
- North Aston
- Piddington (Cherwell)
- Shenington
- Sibford Ferris
- Sibford Gower
- South Newington
- Steeple Aston
- Stratton Audley
- Swalcliffe
- Upper Arncott
- Upper Heyford
- Wardington
- Wendlebury
- Westbury (Buckinghamshire)
- Weston-on-the-Green
- Woodstock
- Wroxton
- Yarnton