Cranfield
Cranfield is a town in Bedfordshire, England, with a population of around 5,369. It has around 7 restaurants and cafés, 10 bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Lidlington, 5.1 km away. There were around 17 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly Other theft. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Cranfield area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Central Bedfordshire area is less deprived than the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 294,252 residents at roughly 411 people per km².
- Council
- Central Bedfordshire
- County
- Bedfordshire
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Police force
- Bedfordshire
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 82nd of 294 English council areas — better than 72% 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
7°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 11° / 7° · 37% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 5° · Patchy rain nearby
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:01Sunset 16:30
9h 30m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
30US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Northampton Spring Park, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 7.1 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 5.3% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
31 reported · August 2026▲ 41% YoY
- Burglary14
- Anti-social behaviour7
- Public order3
- Violence & sexual offences3
Neighbourhood team: Flitwick, Ampthill, Marston and Cranfield · Bedfordshire
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
475 reported road collisions (2025)
113 killed or seriously injured · 688 casualties · 16.1 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
38 food businesses within 2 miles
- 31 rated 4–5 ★ (22 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Lidlington (4.5 km)
- 7 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Lidlington (4.6 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£355,263 average▲ 0.1% YoY
Across Central Bedfordshire · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,250 average monthly rent▲ 3.7% YoY
- 1 bed £865
- 2 bed £1,097
- 3 bed £1,376
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
9.7× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 9.7 times median annual pay (10.7× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
4,398 property sales in the last 12 months
12 months to May 2026
A busier or quieter market is not by itself good or bad. Monthly counts are small and volatile, so only the annual total is shown.
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI, 12 months to 2026-05
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 157.9p · BP (10.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 192.9p · BP (10.3 km)
3 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
34 charging locations within ~8 km
- 17 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 350 kW
- Nearest: Cranfield University (1.4 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Swimming pools5
- Sports pitches10
- Playgrounds13
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- Protecting our roads and keeping Central Bedfordshire moving this winter· 29 Oct 2026
- Residents invited to help shape Public Health Funerals Policy· 29 Oct 2026
- Remembrance Day road closures – 2026· 28 Oct 2026
- Housing Matters - October 2026· 27 Oct 2026
- Helping every child get the best start in life in Central Bedfordshire· 26 Oct 2026
Source: Central Bedfordshire Council
Population
294,252 residents in Central Bedfordshire · 411/km²
- Under 16: 20%
- 16–64: 62%
- 65+: 18%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK20,665
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK16,435
- Net moves+4,230
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Less deprived than the average in England
Ranked 230 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,516 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (27% of 134,350)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
136 schools · 49,238 pupils
95 primary · 14 secondary · 27 other
Ofsted: 52 of 59 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (88%)
129 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Cedars Upper SchoolGood
- Harlington Upper SchoolGood
- Manshead Church of England AcademyGood
- Redborne Upper School and Community CollegeGood
- Fulbrook SchoolRequires improvement
- All Saints Academy Dunstable
- Edward Peake CofE VC School
- Henlow Church of England Academy
- Houstone School
- Queensbury Academy
- Samuel Whitbread Academy
- Sandy Secondary School
- Stratton School
- Vandyke Upper School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Central Bedfordshire
Care & health services
224 CQC-registered services
- Care homes64
- GP practices27
- Dentists56
- Homecare agencies58
- Hospitals & hospices3
CQC ratings: 85% of rated services Good or Outstanding
Source: Care Quality Commission · Central Bedfordshire
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 13 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
421 applications decided
81.5% granted · 343 granted, 78 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Blake Stephenson
Conservative
Mid Bedfordshire
Recent votes:
- NoDraft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
- NoWithdrawal Agreement (Windsor Framework and Governance) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
- NoDraft Code of Practice on Access and Unfair Practices During the Recognition and Derecognition Process
- NoDraft Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Independent (minority)
- Lab 4
- Con 20
- LD 8
- Grn 1
- Ref 2
- Oth 28
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools4
- GPs & clinics1
- Pharmacies1
- Supermarkets1
- Parks & greens4
- Restaurants & cafés11
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
14,040 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
48 jobs advertised · £37,419 avg
e.g. Van Driver, Site Engineers Senior Site Engineers, Handyman
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£869 median full-time weekly pay
2.6% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£26,560 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
54% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: C · 138,501 certificates
8.3% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
84% low-carbon electricity
Wind 54% · Nuclear 21% · Gas 15% · Biomass 9%
71 gCO₂/kWh · low intensity
Latest estimate for East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 84.4 yrs women · 82 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 60.9 women · 61.5 men
65% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.3
- Feeling worthwhile7.8
- Happiness yesterday7.3
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.2
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
4 GP surgeries · 4 pharmacies in MK43
- Harrold Medical Practice
- Marston Forest Healthcare
- The Vale Medical Practice
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Mid Bedfordshire:
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth340 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND292 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks215 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills204 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases177 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Cranfield · 0.1 kmCranfield is a village and civil parish in the west of Bedfordshire, England, situated between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It had a population of 4,909 in 2001, increasing to 5,369 at the 2011 census. The parish is in…
Cranfield Airport · 0.7 kmCranfield Airport is an airfield just outside the village of Cranfield, in Bedfordshire, England. It is about 12 miles (19 km) by road south-west of central Bedford and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) east of Milton Keynes city c…
- Cranfield Court · 0.9 km
Cranfield Court was a country house in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England. It belonged to the Harter family.
Cranfield United F.C. · 1.3 kmCranfield United Football Club is a football club based in Cranfield, near Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The club is affiliated to the Bedfordshire County Football Association. They are currently members of the Spar…
Cranfield University · 1.4 kmCranfield University is a postgraduate public research university in the United Kingdom that specialises in science, engineering, design, technology and management.
Cranfield School of Management · 1.5 kmCranfield School of Management, established in 1967, is a business school that is part of Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom. Cranfield School of Management is triple accredited by the Association of…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Central Bedfordshire with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Cranfield?
- Cranfield is a town in Bedfordshire, England, in the Central Bedfordshire local authority.
- What is the population of Cranfield?
- Cranfield has an approximate settlement population of 5,369.
- How deprived is Cranfield?
- The Central Bedfordshire local authority, which includes Cranfield, is less deprived than the average in England on the IoD2025.