Alderholt
Alderholt is a village in Dorset, England, with a population of around 2,848. The nearest railway station is Kingsmere, 6.7 km away. There were around 10 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 Alderholt area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Dorset area is around the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 379,579 residents at roughly 152 people per km².
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 123rd of 294 English council areas — better than 58% 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° / 5° · 18% rain
- Tomorrow: 10° / 5° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:04Sunset 16:37
9h 33m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
30US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Bournemouth, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 5.5 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 4.1% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
10 reported · August 2026▲ 67% YoY
- Anti-social behaviour4
- Criminal damage & arson2
- Violence & sexual offences2
- Other theft1
Neighbourhood team: East Dorset Rural · Dorset
Local policing priorities
- Poaching and associated offending Location: Sixpenny Handley Issue: Poaching activity has re-emerged within the area and is being accompa…
- Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Location; Various Locations across Verwood. Issue: While overall crime has reduced, reports of anti-social be…
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
675 reported road collisions (2025)
215 killed or seriously injured · 893 casualties · 17.8 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
20 food businesses within 2 miles
- 16 rated 4–5 ★ (15 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Kingsmere (6.7 km)
- 0 bus stops within ~½ mile
Source: OpenStreetMap
House prices
£328,589 average▼ 0.4% YoY
Across Dorset · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,056 average monthly rent▲ 4.9% YoY
- 1 bed £732
- 2 bed £967
- 3 bed £1,191
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
9.9× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 9.9 times median annual pay (9.5× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
5,771 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: 158.9p · Esso (7.7 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 191.9p · Esso (7.7 km)
2 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
12 charging locations within ~8 km
- 4 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 120 kW
- Nearest: Fordingbridge car park (3.2 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports pitches6
- Playgrounds2
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
379,579 residents in Dorset · 152/km²
- Under 16: 15%
- 16–64: 55%
- 65+: 30%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK20,787
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK16,709
- Net moves+4,078
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 174 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
2% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,765 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (23% of 187,680)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
184 schools · 49,648 pupils
119 primary · 18 secondary · 47 other
Ofsted: 67 of 85 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (79%)
157 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Beaminster SchoolGood
- Dorset Studio SchoolGood
- Shaftesbury SchoolGood
- The Blandford SchoolGood
- The Swanage SchoolGood
- The Woodroffe SchoolGood
- Wey Valley AcademyGood
- All Saints' Church of England AcademyRequires improvement
- Budmouth Academy WeymouthRequires improvement
- Queen Elizabeth's SchoolRequires improvement
- Ferndown Upper School
- Gillingham School
- Lytchett Minster School
- Sturminster Newton High School
- The Gryphon School
- The Purbeck School
- The Sir John Colfox Academy
- The Thomas Hardye School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Dorset
Care & health services
388 CQC-registered services
- Care homes120
- GP practices61
- Dentists85
- Homecare agencies87
- Hospitals & hospices14
CQC ratings: 97% of rated services Good or Outstanding
Source: Care Quality Commission · Dorset
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 3 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
683 applications decided
91.7% granted · 626 granted, 57 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Simon Hoare
Conservative
North Dorset
Recent votes:
- NoDraft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
- NoDraft Code of Practice on Access and Unfair Practices During the Recognition and Derecognition Process
- NoNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill: Third Reading
- AyeNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill Committee: New Clause 12
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat majority
- Lab 2
- Con 30
- LD 42
- Grn 4
- Oth 4
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools1
- Parks & greens1
- Restaurants & cafés1
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
20,570 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
4 jobs advertised
e.g. Commercial Cleaners, Office Cleaners, Commercial Cleaners for Offices
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£737 median full-time weekly pay
2.3% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£27,403 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
43% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 186,790 certificates
9.9% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
37% low-carbon electricity
Gas 61% · Wind 19% · Biomass 10% · Nuclear 8%
252 gCO₂/kWh · very high intensity
Latest estimate for South England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 85.4 yrs women · 82.1 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 65.6 women · 65.3 men
66% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.6
- Feeling worthwhile7.9
- Happiness yesterday7.6
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)2.9
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
1 GP surgery · 1 pharmacy in SP6
- Fordingbridge Surgery
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in North Dorset:
- Permanent driving ban on intoxicated drivers guilty of causing death474 local signatures · 29,985 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks331 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases263 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills198 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth176 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Alderholt · 0.2 kmAlderholt is a large village and civil parish in east Dorset, England; situated 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Fordingbridge. The parish includes the hamlets of Crendell and Cripplestyle. The parish had a population of 3,19…
Daggons Road railway station · 0.7 kmDaggons Road was a railway station serving the village of Alderholt, in Dorset, to the south west of Fordingbridge, in Hampshire. It was one of many casualties of the mass closure of British railway lines in the 1960s…
Sandleheath · 2.3 kmSandleheath is a village and civil parish about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) west of Fordingbridge in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England. It has a population of 663, increasing to 680 at the 2011 Census. It lies imme…
- Lower Daggons · 2.4 km
Lower Daggons is a hamlet in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. At the 2011 Census the Post Office affirmed the population was included in the civil parish of Damerham. The hamlet lies close to the Hampshi…
- Fordingbridge railway station · 2.5 km
Fordingbridge was a railway station serving Fordingbridge, a small town in Hampshire. It was one of many casualties of the mass closure of British railway lines in the 1960s and 1970s. The line was officially closed o…
- Broxhill · 2.5 km
Bull Hill, Dorset, Daggons and Broxhill are adjoining hamlets notable for planted woodland and tree cultivation south of Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB in Dorset, England. The nearest town is Fordingbri…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Dorset with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Alderholt?
- Alderholt is a town in Dorset, England, in the Dorset local authority.
- What is the population of Alderholt?
- Alderholt has an approximate settlement population of 2,848.
- How deprived is Alderholt?
- The Dorset local authority, which includes Alderholt, is around the average in England on the IoD2025.