Wilstead
Wilstead is a village in Bedfordshire, England, with a population of around 2,177. It has one pharmacy, around three restaurants and cafés, two bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Kempston Hardwick, 4.4 km away. There were around 51 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence & sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Wilstead area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Bedford area is around the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 185,227 residents at roughly 389 people per km².
- Council
- Bedford
- County
- Bedfordshire
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Police force
- Bedfordshire
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 174th of 294 English council areas — better than 41% 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
11°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 11° / 6° · 48% rain
- Tomorrow: 12° / 8° · Patchy rain nearby
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:58Sunset 16:31
9h 33m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
34US 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
56 reported · August 2026▲ 22% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences25
- Anti-social behaviour14
- Criminal damage & arson4
- Other theft4
Neighbourhood team: Wilstead, Shortstown, Willington · Bedfordshire
Local policing priorities
- Community Priority for New Cardington and Shortstown. During the priority setting meeting held on 31st January 2026 your local councillor…
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
293 reported road collisions (2025)
69 killed or seriously injured · 383 casualties · 15.8 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
27 food businesses within 2 miles
- 25 rated 4–5 ★ (22 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Kempston Hardwick (4.0 km)
- 2 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Kempston Hardwick (4.0 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£330,462 average▲ 1.1% YoY
Across Bedford · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,173 average monthly rent▲ 3% YoY
- 1 bed £800
- 2 bed £1,029
- 3 bed £1,260
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
9.1× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 9.1 times median annual pay (9.3× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
2,128 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: 168.9p · Asda (11.4 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 195.9p · ESSO (9.7 km)
3 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
52 charging locations within ~8 km
- 14 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 300 kW
- Nearest: The Knife and Cleaver (3 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools3
- Sports pitches7
- Playgrounds11
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
185,227 residents in Bedford · 389/km²
- Under 16: 20%
- 16–64: 63%
- 65+: 17%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK10,498
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK10,187
- Net moves+311
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 141 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
4% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,472 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (25% of 80,810)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
84 schools · 35,150 pupils
53 primary · 12 secondary · 19 other
Ofsted: 35 of 38 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (92%)
74 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Bedford Free SchoolOutstanding
- Bedford AcademyGood
- Goldington AcademyGood
- St Thomas More Catholic SchoolGood
- Mark Rutherford SchoolRequires improvement
- Wixams AcademyRequires improvement
- Biddenham International School and Sports College
- Daubeney Academy
- Kempston Academy
- Lincroft Academy
- Sharnbrook Academy
- Wootton Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Bedford
Care & health services
269 CQC-registered services
- Care homes73
- GP practices34
- Dentists50
- Homecare agencies81
- Hospitals & hospices8
CQC ratings: 82% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 7 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Bedford
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 20 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
321 applications decided
79.4% granted · 255 granted, 66 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
Conservative majority · directly-elected mayor
- Lab 12
- Con 14
- LD 13
- Grn 4
- Oth 3
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools7
- Pharmacies1
- Parks & greens9
- Restaurants & cafés5
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
8,405 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
1 jobs advertised · £26,436 avg
e.g. Sales Administrator
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£780 median full-time weekly pay
4.5% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£24,626 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 · 90,060 certificates
9.5% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
83% low-carbon electricity
Wind 46% · Gas 17% · Nuclear 16% · Solar 12%
76 gCO₂/kWh · low intensity
Latest estimate for East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 83.4 yrs women · 80.2 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 62.7 women · 62.5 men
73% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.5
- Feeling worthwhile7.7
- Happiness yesterday7.6
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.4
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
8 GP surgeries · 5 pharmacies in MK45
- Greensand Surgery (Ampthill)
- Flitwick Surgery
- Dr A Sulakshana & Partners
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
- Wixams Academy · 1.5 km
Wixams Academy is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in Wixams in the English county of Bedfordshire.
Wixams · 1.9 kmWixams is a new town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England, which has been under construction since early 2007. It is expected to become the third largest settlement in the Borough of Bedford after Bedford…
Wilstead · 1.9 kmWilstead is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, just off the A6 Bedford to Luton road, about five miles south of Bedford town centre, and within the Borough of Bedford. The name of the village has bee…
- ROF Elstow · 1.9 km
Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Elstow was one of sixteen UK Ministry of Supply, World War II, Filling Factories. It was a medium-sized filling factory, Filling Factory No. 16, which filled and packed munitions. It was…
- List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Bedfordshire · 2.2 km
Bedfordshire is a county in the East of England. It is bounded by Hertfordshire to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, and Buckinghamshire to the west. It has an area of 1,…
Bedfordshire · 2.2 kmBedfordshire is a ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and south-east, and Buckinghamshire to the west…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Bedford with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Wilstead?
- Wilstead is a town in Bedfordshire, England, in the Bedford local authority.
- What is the population of Wilstead?
- Wilstead has an approximate settlement population of 2,177.
- How deprived is Wilstead?
- The Bedford local authority, which includes Wilstead, is around the average in England on the IoD2025.