Harpenden

9°CPatchy rain nearby

• Today: 11° / 8° · 38% rain
• Tomorrow: 11° / 6° · Sunny

Source: WeatherAPI

Sunrise 06:59Sunset 16:30

9h 31m of daylight today

Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec

Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk

13US AQI · Good

Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)

Source: WAQI · Brent - Ikea, United Kingdom

• 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

91 reported · August 2026▼ 29% YoY

• Anti-social behaviour22
• Violence & sexual offences17
• Other theft15
• Shoplifting9

2 stop & searches · mostly article for use in theft

Neighbourhood team: Harpenden and Rural · Hertfordshire

Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)

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)

165 food businesses within 2 miles

• 136 rated 4–5 ★ (110 top)
• 6 rated 0–2 (poor)

Source: Food Standards Agency

• Nearest station: Harpenden (0.4 km)
• 31 bus stops within ~½ mile

Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail

£355,263 average▲ 0.1% YoY

Across Central Bedfordshire · to 2026-08

Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)

£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

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

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

• Cheapest petrol: 166.9p · Asda (11.5 km)
• Cheapest diesel: 145.8p · AppleGreen (7.5 km)

9 stations within ~8 miles

Source: CMA fuel price scheme

59 charging locations within ~8 km

• 9 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
• Fastest nearby: 300 kW
• Nearest: Bowers Way Car Park (0.2 km)

Source: Open Charge Map

• Sports centres3
• Gyms3
• Swimming pools30
• Sports pitches44
• Playgrounds7

Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)

• 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

294,252 residents in Central Bedfordshire · 411/km²

• Under 16: 20%
• 16–64: 62%
• 65+: 18%

Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)

• 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

Less deprived than the average in England

Ranked 230 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)

Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025

£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

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)

Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Central Bedfordshire

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

• In a conservation area (Harpenden)
• Not in the Green Belt
• 44 listed buildings within ~1.5 km

Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)

421 applications decided

81.5% granted · 343 granted, 78 refused

Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2

Victoria Collins

Liberal Democrat

Harpenden and Berkhamsted

Source: UK Parliament

Independent (minority)

• Lab 4
• Con 20
• LD 8
• Grn 1
• Ref 2
• Oth 28

Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)

• Schools15
• GPs & clinics4
• Pharmacies4
• Supermarkets4
• Parks & greens20
• Restaurants & cafés52

Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)

14,040 active business enterprises in the area

Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)

154 jobs advertised · £38,559 avg

e.g. Drainage Operations Manager, Amazon Flex Delivery Driver, Nursery Cleaner

Source: Adzuna

£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

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

84% low-carbon electricity

Wind 54% · Nuclear 20% · Gas 16% · Biomass 10%

72 gCO₂/kWh · low intensity

Latest estimate for East England · National Grid ESO

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

• 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

5 GP surgeries · 5 pharmacies in AL5

• Village Surgery
• Elms Medical Practice
• Davenport House Surgery

Source: NHS Organisation Data Service

Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Harpenden and Berkhamsted:

• Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks348 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
• Protect legal right to support for children with SEND205 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
• Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills202 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
• Make statutory maternity pay 90% of wage for first 12 weeks & minimum wage after163 local signatures · 58,157 nationwide
• End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately146 local signatures · 76,640 nationwide

Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05

• 
  St Nicholas Church, Harpenden · 0.1 km

  The church of St Nicholas in Harpenden is a parish church in the Church of England. It is a Grade II* listed building.

• 
  Lydekker Park · 0.3 km

  Lydekker Park is a 3-acre (1.2 ha) park in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. The land was formerly part of the garden of Harpenden Lodge, built in 1803, home for many years to the Lydekkers, one of the town's oldest families.…

• 
  Harpenden · 0.3 km

  Harpenden is a town and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The population of the built-up area was 30,674 in the 2021 census, while the population of the civil…

• 
  Harpenden railway station · 0.4 km

  Harpenden railway station is on the Midland Main Line in England, serving the town of Harpenden, Hertfordshire. It is 24 miles 51 chains (39.7 km) down the line from London St Pancras and is situated between St Albans…

• 
  Harpenden Town Hall · 0.4 km

  Harpenden Town Hall is a municipal building in Leyton Road in Harpenden, a town in Hertfordshire, in England. It accommodates the offices and meeting place of Harpenden Town Council.

• 
  Harpenden Town F.C. · 0.5 km

  Harpenden Town Football Club is a football club based in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and play at Rothamsted Park.

Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)