Ruardean Woodside
Ruardean Woodside is a village in Gloucestershire, England. There are 17 bus stops. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Ruardean Woodside area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Forest of Dean area is around the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 87,004 residents at roughly 165 people per km².
- Council
- Forest of Dean
- County
- Gloucestershire
- Constituency
- Forest of Dean
- Police force
- Gloucestershire
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 112th of 294 English council areas — better than 62% 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
8°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 9° / 7° · 36% rain
- Tomorrow: 10° / 6° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:10Sunset 16:37
9h 27m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
25US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Chepstow A48, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 5.7 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 4.3% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
Road safety
103 reported road collisions (2025)
33 killed or seriously injured · 149 casualties · 11.8 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
29 food businesses within 2 miles
- 23 rated 4–5 ★ (22 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- 17 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Lydney (14.8 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£296,807 average▲ 1.1% YoY
Across Forest of Dean · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£828 average monthly rent▼ 0.1% YoY
- 1 bed £594
- 2 bed £800
- 3 bed £960
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
8.2× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 8.2 times median annual pay (7.9× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
1,055 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: 172.9p · Asda (9.1 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 197.9p · Asda (9.1 km)
1 station within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
11 charging locations within ~8 km
- 4 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 120 kW
- Nearest: Tesco Superstore-Cinderford (4.1 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports pitches5
- Playgrounds2
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
87,004 residents in Forest of Dean · 165/km²
- Under 16: 16%
- 16–64: 59%
- 65+: 25%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK5,395
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK5,084
- 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 121 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,443 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band B (25% of 40,980)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
55 schools · 10,867 pupils
45 primary · 6 secondary · 4 other
Ofsted: 23 of 28 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (82%)
52 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Five Acres High SchoolGood
- The Dean AcademyGood
- SGS Forest High SchoolRequires improvement
- Dene Magna and Sixth Form
- Newent Community School and Sixth Form Centre
- Wyedean School and Sixth Form Centre
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Forest of Dean
Care & health services
687 CQC-registered services
- Care homes200
- GP practices96
- Dentists142
- Homecare agencies182
- Hospitals & hospices31
CQC ratings: 92% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 2 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Gloucestershire
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 8 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
118 applications decided
92.4% granted · 109 granted, 9 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Matt Bishop
Labour
Forest of Dean
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
Green (minority)
- Lab 4
- Con 6
- LD 1
- Grn 15
- Ref 1
- Oth 11
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools2
- Parks & greens6
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
4,195 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Local economy
£833 median full-time weekly pay
2.6% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£22,925 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
38% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 39,298 certificates
12.3% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
50% low-carbon electricity
Gas 46% · Wind 29% · Nuclear 18% · Imports 4%
186 gCO₂/kWh · high intensity
Latest estimate for West Midlands · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 83.7 yrs women · 81 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy (Gloucestershire): 63.4 women · 63.4 men
72% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.2
- Feeling worthwhile7.9
- Happiness yesterday7.0
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)4.1
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
2 GP surgeries · 2 pharmacies in GL17
- Drybrook Surgery
- Mitcheldean Surgery
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Forest of Dean:
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks365 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases200 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Review the law on unfit to plead & reform it to protect victims & public safety183 local signatures · 12,590 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills179 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
- End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately177 local signatures · 76,640 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Ruardean Woodside · 0.1 kmRuardean Woodside is a village in Gloucestershire, England, located in the Forest of Dean and tucked away behind Ruardean Hill and Brierley. There is a primary school and a village hall. The Roebuck was the last of th…
Ruardean Hill · 0.8 kmRuardean Hill is a prominent hill and a village in the English county of Gloucestershire, 20 km (12 mi) west of Gloucester. It lies in the Forest of Dean, in the parish of Drybrook.
Ruardean · 0.9 kmRuardean is a village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, to the North West of Cinderford. It is situated on a hillside with views west towards the mountains of South Wales. Little now remains of the vill…
The Pludds · 1.2 kmThe Pludds is a hamlet in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. Lydbrook and Joys Green are to the west, Ruardean is to the north, and Ruardean Woodside is to the east. The Pludds has a village hall.
- Ruardyn Castle · 1.3 km
Ruardyn Castle was a manor house in the village of Ruardean. Its ruins have been scheduled as an ancient monument.
Brierley, Gloucestershire · 1.6 kmBrierley is a village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. It has one petrol station and a shop, the former owned by BP and the latter by Londis.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Ruardean Woodside?
- Ruardean Woodside is a town in Gloucestershire, England, in the Forest of Dean local authority.
- How deprived is Ruardean Woodside?
- The Forest of Dean local authority, which includes Ruardean Woodside, is around the average in England on the IoD2025.