Holywell (Central Bedfordshire)
Holywell (Central Bedfordshire) is a village in Bedfordshire, England, with a population of around 1,000. It has around 3 restaurants and cafés, 2 bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Whipsnade Central, 1.3 km away. There were around 2 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly anti-social behaviour. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Holywell (Central Bedfordshire) 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
5 reported · August 2026▼ 29% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences2
- Anti-social behaviour1
- Public order1
- Vehicle crime1
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
20 food businesses within 2 miles
- 20 rated 4–5 ★ (18 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Whipsnade Central (1.3 km)
- 2 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Leagrave (8.1 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: 159.9p · Shell (10.8 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 145.8p · AppleGreen (7.9 km)
11 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
32 charging locations within ~8 km
- 9 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 150 kW
- Nearest: Arts and Country Crafts (3.4 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches9
- Golf courses1
- Playgrounds2
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
- Within 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
Rachel Hopkins
Labour
Luton South and South Bedfordshire
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
- Schools1
- Restaurants & cafés5
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
14,040 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
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 Luton South and South Bedfordshire:
- Raise Human Rights Issues in Azad Kashmir with the Government of Pakistan 616 local signatures · 20,508 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND123 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Fund £20,000 a year (term time) wage for Teaching Assistants111 local signatures · 39,730 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases105 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth101 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Holywell, Bedfordshire · 0.3 kmHolywell is a village located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England.
Whipsnade · 1.2 kmWhipsnade is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, about 2+1⁄2 miles (4.0 km) south-south-west of Dunstable on the top of the Dunstable Do…
Church of St Mary, Studham · 1.2 kmChurch of St Mary is a Grade I listed church in Studham, Bedfordshire, England. It became a listed building on 3 February 1967.
- Landpark Wood · 1.3 km
Landpark Wood is a 3.6-hectare (8.9-acre) nature reserve near Whipsnade in Bedfordshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Studham · 1.4 kmStudham is a village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire. It has a population of 1,182. The parish bounds to the south of the Buckinghamshire border, and to the east is the Hertfordshire border. The village…
Whipsnade Tree Cathedral · 1.4 kmWhipsnade Tree Cathedral is a 9.5-acre (3.8 ha) garden in the village of Whipsnade in Bedfordshire, England. It is planted in the approximate form of a cathedral, with grass avenues for nave, chancel, transepts, chape…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Central Bedfordshire with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Holywell (Central Bedfordshire)?
- Holywell (Central Bedfordshire) is a town in Bedfordshire, England, in the Central Bedfordshire local authority.
- How deprived is Holywell (Central Bedfordshire)?
- The Central Bedfordshire local authority, which includes Holywell (Central Bedfordshire), is less deprived than the average in England on the IoD2025.