Dunstable
Dunstable is a town in Bedfordshire, England, with a population of around 51,973. It has around 4 GP surgeries, 8 pharmacies, 4 supermarkets, around 86 restaurants and cafés, 38 bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Whipsnade Central, 4.3 km away. The average sold house price is around £357,522, and there were around 218 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence and sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Dunstable 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
- South West 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°COvercast
- Today: 10° / 6° · 22% rain
- Tomorrow: 10° / 6° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:03Sunset 16:27
9h 24m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
33US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · London Harlington, 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
269 reported · August 2026▲ 16% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences81
- Anti-social behaviour51
- Shoplifting44
- Public order20
1 stop & searches · mostly article for use in theft
Neighbourhood team: Dunstable and Rural · Bedfordshire
Local policing priorities
- Anti-social behaviour and drug use in ASHTON SQUARE and GROVE GARDENS. This has been raised by the Community as an ongoing issue and ther…
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
325 food businesses within 2 miles
- 258 rated 4–5 ★ (224 top)
- 12 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Whipsnade Central (4.3 km)
- 41 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Leagrave (5.1 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: 169.9p · Asda (10.5 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 145.8p · AppleGreen (7.4 km)
7 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
56 charging locations within ~8 km
- 9 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 360 kW
- Nearest: Priory Gardens Church Close Car Park (0.5 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres4
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches32
- Golf courses1
- Playgrounds8
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- Homeowners refunded £142,000 after rogue trader investigation· 3 Nov 2026
- Firework season sparks safety checks across Central Bedfordshire· 3 Nov 2026
- 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
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
- 58 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
Alex Mayer
Labour
Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
Recent votes:
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 86: High value council tax surcharge
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 76: Rates of alcohol duty
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 55: Value added tax (electric vehicle charging)
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 15: Charges in connection with employment visas
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
- Schools14
- GPs & clinics4
- Pharmacies8
- Supermarkets8
- Parks & greens9
- Restaurants & cafés92
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
14,040 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
522 jobs advertised · £37,474 avg
e.g. Class 2 Driver, Warehouse Manager, Trainee Estimator / Quantity Surveyor
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
80% low-carbon electricity
Wind 47% · Nuclear 21% · Gas 19% · Biomass 11%
88 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
3 GP surgeries · 5 pharmacies in LU6
- West Street Surgery
- Kirby Road Surgery
- Edlesborough Surgery
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard:
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND318 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth287 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Make statutory maternity pay 90% of wage for first 12 weeks & minimum wage after179 local signatures · 58,157 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills158 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases151 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
- Dunstable Friary · 0.2 km
Dunstable Friary was a Dominican friary in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. It was located to the west of Watling Street, between the present-day High Street South and the road that is called Friary Field.
- Municipal Borough of Dunstable · 0.3 km
The town of Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England was governed as an ancient borough between the twelfth century and the sixteenth century. The town’s borough status was effectively lost after 1541, following the English…
Dunstable · 0.3 kmDunstable is a market town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from th…
- Dunstable Priory · 0.5 km
The Priory Church of St Peter with its monastery was founded in 1132 by Henry I for Augustinian Canons in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. St Peter's today is only the nave of what remains of an originally much large…
Grove House, Dunstable · 0.5 kmGrove House, also known as Dunstable Municipal Offices, is a municipal building in High Street North, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. The building, which forms the offices and meeting place of Dunstable Town Council…
- Ashton Middle School · 0.7 km
Ashton Middle School was a middle school in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, under the Central Bedfordshire Local Education Authority.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Central Bedfordshire with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Dunstable?
- Dunstable is a town in Bedfordshire, England, in the Central Bedfordshire local authority.
- What is the population of Dunstable?
- Dunstable has an approximate settlement population of 51,973.
- How deprived is Dunstable?
- The Central Bedfordshire local authority, which includes Dunstable, is less deprived than the average in England on the IoD2025.