Lower Stondon
Lower Stondon is a village in Bedfordshire, England. It has seven restaurants and cafés, one pharmacy, six bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Arlesey, 3.3 km away. There were around 12 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 Lower Stondon 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
9°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 11° / 7° · 26% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 5° · Partly Cloudy
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:01Sunset 16:27
9h 26m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
35US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Enfield - Bowes Primary School, 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
23 reported · August 2026▼ 21% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences9
- Anti-social behaviour8
- Public order3
- Burglary1
Neighbourhood team: Biggleswade, Sandy, Potton and Shefford · Bedfordshire
Local policing priorities
- Community Priority for Area 5: Vehicle nuisance ARLESEY/STOTFOLD area. This has been identified as the community priority for this quarte…
- Community Priority for Area 3: ASB at Salcombe close park in BIGGLESWADE this has been identified as the community priority for this quar…
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
62 food businesses within 2 miles
- 57 rated 4–5 ★ (50 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Arlesey (3.3 km)
- 6 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Arlesey (3.3 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 · Esso (7.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 193.9p · Esso (7.3 km)
4 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
30 charging locations within ~8 km
- 7 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 350 kW
- Nearest: Henlow Park Pavilion (3.1 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools12
- Sports pitches6
- Playgrounds10
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
- 7 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
Alistair Strathern
Labour
Hitchin
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
- Schools2
- GPs & clinics1
- Pharmacies1
- Parks & greens8
- Restaurants & cafés7
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
58% low-carbon electricity
Gas 42% · Wind 36% · Nuclear 14% · Biomass 6%
171 gCO₂/kWh · high 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
1 GP surgery · 1 pharmacy in SG16
- Lower Stondon Surgery
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Hitchin:
- Dedicated funding for Epidermolysis Bullosa and rare skin conditions research584 local signatures · 11,555 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases477 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks405 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND292 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth264 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Henlow Camp railway station · 0.2 kmHenlow Camp was a railway station on the Bedford to Hitchin Line which served the village of Henlow in Bedfordshire, England. Opened in 1857, it gave more than a century of service before closing in 1962.

RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine · 0.4 kmThe RAF Centre of Aerospace Medicine is a medical organisation run by the Royal Air Force and based at RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire. It is the main organisation conducting aerospace medicine research in the UK.
- Henlow Stadium · 0.5 km
Henlow Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium located at Stondon, in the English county of Bedfordshire, slightly to the north of Hitchin. The stadium had a restaurant, a number of bars and a bistro.
- RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow · 1.0 km
RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow is a former Royal Air Force unit covering three distinct sites in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. The three sites, separately known as RAF Brampton, RAF Wyton and RAF Henlow, housed a number…
RAF Henlow · 1.0 kmRoyal Air Force Henlow or more simply RAF Henlow is a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England, equidistant from Bedford, Luton and Stevenage. It houses the RAF Centre of Aerospace Medicine and the Joint Arms…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Central Bedfordshire with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Lower Stondon?
- Lower Stondon is a town in Bedfordshire, England, in the Central Bedfordshire local authority.
- How deprived is Lower Stondon?
- The Central Bedfordshire local authority, which includes Lower Stondon, is less deprived than the average in England on the IoD2025.