Alston
Alston is a village in Cumbria, England, with a population of around 1,105. It has two schools, one GP surgery, around three restaurants and cafés, four bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Alston, 0.4 km away. The average sold house price is around £238,793, and there were around 12 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 Alston area — all from official UK open data.
- Council
- Westmorland and Furness
- County
- Cumbria
- Constituency
- Penrith and The Border
- Police force
- Cumbria
My Area Score
Excellent
Ranked 42nd of 294 English council areas — better than 86% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. Scored on 60% of the full weighting — some data isn't available here. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
13°CCloudy
- Today: 16° / 11° · 40% rain
- Tomorrow: 14° / 7° · Patchy rain nearby
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:38Sunset 19:31
12h 53m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
46US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Newcastle Centre, United Kingdom
Crime
4 reported · July 2026
- Violence & sexual offences4
Neighbourhood team: North Penrith and Alston · Cumbria
Local policing priorities
- Youth antisocial behaviour and drug use and activity in Alston
- Speeding vehicles and road safety concerns in Alston and surrounding roads
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
383 reported road collisions (2024)
131 killed or seriously injured · 480 casualties · 16.9 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
21 food businesses within 2 miles
- 18 rated 4–5 ★ (15 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Alston (0.4 km)
- 4 bus stops within ~½ mile
Source: OpenStreetMap
House prices
£230,066 average▲ 11.1% YoY
Across Westmorland and Furness · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£812 average monthly rent▲ 6.5% YoY
- 1 bed £601
- 2 bed £769
- 3 bed £937
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
5.9× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 5.9 times median annual pay (5.5× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
EV charging
4 charging locations within ~8 km
- Fastest nearby: 7 kW
- Nearest: Alston Gym (0.3 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports pitches7
- Playgrounds4
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- Tour de France Grand Départ Trophy draws the crowds at County Show
- South Lakeland Family Hub - August news
- Residents invited to have their say on local polling arrangements
- Relining works to begin, improving parking spaces at Westmorland Shopping Centre
- New plan aims to turn council spending into bigger benefits for local communities
Source: Westmorland and Furness Council
Population
226,591 residents in Westmorland and Furness
- Under 16: 15%
- 16–64: 59%
- 65+: 26%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Council tax
£2,508 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band A (25% of 117,810)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
162 schools · 31,227 pupils
121 primary · 19 secondary · 22 other
Ofsted: 49 of 54 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (91%)
147inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Appleby Grammar SchoolGood
- Furness AcademyGood
- John Ruskin SchoolGood
- Kirkby Stephen Grammar SchoolGood
- Queen Elizabeth Grammar School PenrithGood
- Queen Elizabeth SchoolGood
- Queen Elizabeth Studio SchoolGood
- St Bernards Catholic High School, BarrowGood
- The Lakes SchoolGood
- The Queen Katherine SchoolGood
- Ullswater Community CollegeGood
- Dallam SchoolRequires improvement
- Cartmel Priory CofE School
- Dowdales School
- Kirkbie Kendal School
- Samuel King's School
- Settlebeck School
- Ulverston Victoria High School
- Walney School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Westmorland and Furness
Care & health services
227 CQC-registered services
- Care homes59
- GP practices39
- Dentists55
- Homecare agencies48
- Hospitals & hospices7
CQC ratings: 95% of rated services Good or Outstanding
Source: Care Quality Commission · Westmorland and Furness
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Alston)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 47 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
255 applications decided
92.9% granted · 237 granted, 18 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Markus Campbell-Savours
Labour
Penrith and Solway
Recent votes:
- NoTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading
- NoClosure motion
- NoSocial Housing Bill [Lords]: Reasoned Amendment to Second Reading
- AyeDraft Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat majority
- Lab 15
- Con 9
- LD 35
- Grn 1
- Ref 1
- Oth 4
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools3
- GPs & clinics1
- Pharmacies1
- Parks & greens2
- Restaurants & cafés5
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
13,345 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Local economy
£812 median full-time weekly pay
1.8% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£26,301 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
46% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 23,188 certificates
12.9% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
53% low-carbon electricity
Imports 47% · Wind 25% · Nuclear 14% · Biomass 10%
14 gCO₂/kWh · very low intensity
Latest estimate for North East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 84.4 yrs women · 80.7 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 64.4 women · 62.8 men
59% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Health services
1 GP surgery · 1 pharmacy in CA9
- Alston Medical Practice
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Penrith and Solway:
- Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership389 local signatures · 163,883 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office349 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s300 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership287 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills253 local signatures · 110,383 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
- Samuel King's School · 0.1 km
Samuel King's School is a mixed secondary school located in Alston in the English county of Cumbria. As of 2017 it had 73 students on roll. It is a comprehensive foundation school administered by Westmorland and Furne…
Alston Moor · 0.2 kmAlston Moor, formerly known as Alston with Garrigill, is a civil parish and electoral ward in the Westmorland and Furness district, in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England, based around the small town of Alston.…
Alston Town Hall · 0.2 kmAlston Town Hall is a municipal building in Front Street, Alston, Cumbria, England. The town hall, which is currently used as a public library, is a Grade II listed building.
Alston, Cumbria · 0.2 kmAlston is a town in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, within the civil parish of Alston Moor. It is located at about 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level in the North Pennines, the River South Tyne, and shares…
Alston railway station · 0.5 kmAlston is a heritage railway station on the South Tynedale Railway. The station, situated 13 miles (21 km) south of Haltwhistle, is in the market town of Alston, in Cumbria, England.
A686 road · 1.5 kmThe A686 is a road in Northern England. It runs from Penrith in Cumbria to Haydon Bridge in Northumberland. AA Magazine named the A686 as one of their "Ten Great Drives" owing to the dramatic scenery of the North Pe…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Westmorland and Furness with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Alston?
- Alston is a town in Cumbria, England, in the Westmorland and Furness local authority.
- What is the population of Alston?
- Alston has an approximate settlement population of 1,105.